When I'm With You
by Authoress Angst 01
Summary: Set in the MWPP era,this is a story about the loves and the lives of the Marauders and their friends.Happiness is short-lived as Lord Voldemort gains power and terrorizes the magical as well as the muggle world.We know the end,this is how it began...
1. Chapter 1 Return To Hogwarts

When I'm With You…

**Disclaimer- I do NOT own any of the magnificent J.'s characters however badly I try to convince myself that I do! How I wish I did…**

As the mist thinned out on Platform 9 and ¾, Lily Evans scanned the crowd for her best friends Alice Prewett and Mary MacDonald, people she could trust with her life. The fiery haired girl had a gleam in her emerald eyes; this was her seventh and last year at Hogwarts, she wanted to make the most of it and curse anyone who willed it to be otherwise. She had finally acquired the Head Girl badge, the thing that held her fascination ever since she saw the then Head Girl on her first Hogwarts train ride. She was sure Albus Dumbledore wouldn't regret his decision; she wasn't going to give Dumbledore a reason to. She pinned the golden HG badge on the front of her robes and wondered who would be the Head Boy. Perhaps Headmaster Dumbledore would have chosen Gryffindor Prefect Remus Lupin or maybe Ravenclaw's Caradoc Dearborn…

A mélange of voices startled her out of her musings. She blinked, her exquisite eyes focused on a pair of girls who looked as different as chalk and cheese.

"Lily! Oh it's so good to see you!" cried Alice, the tallest of the three. With light brown eyes that danced with joy and long and wavy, black hair (raven, she insisted) that bounced with every step that she took, she was the reason many a hearts at Hogwarts had been broken.

"How have you been Lils? You hardly sent us any letters!" accused the doe-eyed, golden haired Mary. She was the youngest of the trio and was used to getting her way with the other girls, who regarded Mary as their little sister.

Lily sighed, "I have one word, Petunia…"

"You need not explain anymore dear. We know how she gets." chorused Mary and Alice, thinking about the time they had visited Lily during the second year Easter holidays.

"Oh My God! Lily you made Head Girl!" shrieked Alice, suddenly noticing Lily's gleaming badge "I'm so happy for you!"

"I knew you would!" echoed Mary pulling Lily into a tight hug effectively smothering the poor redhead.

"Let's get into the train now." suggested Lily."Don't want to get the worst compartments, do we?"

"Follow the leader", laughed Alice and Mary as they charmed their trunks to float behind then and onto the train.

The outline of four boys was visible through the thick fog. As they stepped through the barrier that separated the muggle world from the magical one, one could see that they were certainly not ordinary boys in any circumstances. They jostled one another around and shoved the tiny First years out of their way. The whole school knew who they were. They were the Marauders.

As they crossed over, they stood away from the barrier and discussed something in hushed tones. Evidently something was up.

"Dumbledore must be off his rocker! How in the name of Merlin's pants did he make _you _Head Boy?" pondered the sandy haired Remus Lupin.

"Aww, come on Moony. Dumbledore's not lost his mind…He has been kidnapped, locked in a closet with Chudley Cannons socks stuffed in his mouth!" deadpanned the tall, well-built, darkly handsome boy with long, lustrous black hair and striking grey eyes. He was the heartthrob of Hogwarts; his aristocratic features and his suave elegance made him so.

Peter defended James, "Shut up Sirius. Dumbledore obviously saw something in James that made him want to make Prongs Head Boy." He shot a half-smile towards the subject of their discussion.

"Padfoot, stuff it. Wormy, ah, what can I say? My charm works wonders on people, doesn't it?" winked Potter. A tall boy with hazel-brown eyes and untidy black hair that stuck up at the back; only lost out the top spot of the most eligible bachelors of Hogwarts because of his best mate who claimed the position.

His gaze fell on a group of girls standing a little off from the steaming engine evidently having an animated discussion. He sighed and the other boys who had drifted off onto other topics followed his gaze and exchanged glances. Lily Evans had been the only girl James ever laid eyes on. The marauders thought it was a crush, a mere fancy. James said it was love.

"I've changed haven't I?" thought James, "I will show her that I have. I'm not the same, immature person I used to be…"

"Oi Prongs!" called Sirius, "You've got the whole year for that. Maybe the Head Boy-ship would have some perks after all, huh? You just show her you've changed. That's all!"

Somewhere in the distance a whistle blew.

"Shit" cried Lupin, "Run".

They hurried over to the Hogwarts Express and jumped onboard. They had barely made it in the nick of time and had to endure a good sound scolding from the conductor.

Peter, who had been silent all this while said, "Let's find a compartment fast. My feet are killing me."

"My dear Wormy, You're a wizard aren't you? Charm your trunk to become lighter, stupid!" exclaimed Sirius, who had really no patience for any kind of idiocy. Peter merely shrugged and followed Sirius' suggestion.

The Marauders walked down the aisle looking for an empty compartment but none was to be found. Suddenly James slid open the door of one of the compartments and motioned to the other Marauders to sit down. The only other occupants of the compartment were Lily Evans, Alice Prewett, Mary MacDonald and two other girls who batted their eyelashes at Sirius and James. They ignored the two girls.

"What do you want Potter?" asked Lily wearily. She did not want to engage in a quarrel with him now. She knew he had changed, yet, there was some part of her that suspected he was up to waywardness.

"Ah Evans. Made Head Girl didn't you? What did I tell you Padfoot?" exclaimed James Potter. Lily almost smiled and then remembered this was James Potter she was dealing with. She then noticed the badge pinned on to the front of his robes.

"Head Boy? Whom did you steal that badge from?" demanded Lily and all thoughts of a reformed James fled from her mind. "A leopard doesn't change his spots." she thought.

"I didn't Evans. Apparently Dumbledore decided that I was indeed fit for the job and here I am..." said James, directing a grin all round the compartment.

Lily looked towards Remus. He shrugged as though to indicate James was indeed saying the truth.

"Well, I'm going to the Heads' and Prefects' Cabin for the Prefects Meeting. See you guys in some time. Save a few chocolate frogs for me, will you?" said Lily, directing it mostly to Alice and Mary but it was Sirius who answered, "Oh we will. Wormy loves them too."

"Would you inform the Prefects that they have to come for the meeting in fifteen minutes Remus? Thanks." Lily told Remus as she and James left.

"What gives that Lily will finally say yes to James this year?" questioned Sirius watching the backs of the two who just left.

A babble of voices broke out as they argued over whether or not James would finally convince Lily to go out with him.

As Lily and James walked towards the Prefects Cabin, they remained silent but the silence was companionable. They were not by all means conventional friends, only tolerating each other, although they did not hate each other.

"So Lily, since I haven't been to a Prefects Meeting before just run me through the stuff we have to do", said James, "Please…" he added as an afterthought.

"Obviously.", said Lily rather cuttingly, then amended, " Well, it's mostly about welcoming the new prefects, distributing the patrol schedules, describing the duties of the prefects so that the new Fifth year prefects get an idea of they are supposed to do….you get the gist of it…"

They entered the cabin and seated themselves on a couch as they waited for the prefects to arrive. Minutes ticked by and James finally broke the silence, "Do you suppose Voldemort is gathering followers and trying to recruit students from Hogwarts too?"

Lily looked visibly shaken and it took her a few moments to respond, "So it's true then? Voldemort is gaining power?"

James' answer was lost as the door to the cabin opened and the Prefects strolled in. Remus grinned at James and shot a smile towards Lily, with whom he always got along well.

"Hello Prefects, I am Lily Evans, your Head Girl for this year and I hope we get off to a great start…"said Lily.

"And _I _am The James Potter, your Head Boy!" exclaimed James to general astonishment. The Slytherin Prefects openly sneered at James as though questioning his ability to perform his responsibilities. James seemed to notice this and resolved to be the best he could.

"So, the passwords to your common rooms will appear in your pockets as you leave and you can each patrol the corridor for half an hour, starting with the Hufflepuff prefects followed by the Gryffindor prefects then the Slytherin and Ravenclaw prefects. Potter and I will take the last patrol shift. The patrol timetables for Hogwarts will be posted in your common rooms within the first week. That's all." said Lily.

"Yeah. And don't forget to help the First years find Hagrid and the boats when we reach Hogsmead." added James, "We'll see you at the Feast then but don't hesitate to come to either Lily or me if you have any difficulties."

The prefects recognised the dismissal and filled out of the cabin; many of them stopped to congratulate Lily and patted James on the back for his unpredicted achievement.

Remus waited for James but James indicated for him to go on. He wanted to have a few words with Lily.

Lily was busy with the patrol schedules and realised with a jolt that she was alone with James. He was looking at her with an inscrutable expression upon his face.

"Lily, if I could call you that…" he started, "Now that we are Heads, we would be spending a lot of time together and I want for us to be on a first-name basis you see…"

"Oh! Yes Potter…uh…I mean James" she smiled. She decided that she would give James the benefit of doubt. After all he wasn't hexing everything he saw and not abusing his power of Head Boy and Quidditch Captain

James' heart soared as she smiled at him. Maybe, just maybe, this was the year Lily would come to know the _real_ James Potter. The James Potter that loved her ever since he first laid eyes on her.

"Come on Potter…oops! James. Let's go, they're probably waiting for us…" said Lily, remembering her friends waiting for her.

"After you My Lady", quipped James and held the door open for the redhead never taking his eyes of her.

They walked back to their compartment and all the while they discussed their holidays. James noticed how Lily's eyes would darken with gloom when she mentioned her sister and wondered where the love was lost between them.

Lily slid open the door to the compartment and found them to be interrupting a rather violent game of exploding snap. Sirius' eyebrows were singed off as were Peter's. Alice and Mary were covered in ash and were furiously beating their robes to get rid of the sticky ash instead giving rise to plumes of smoke that smothered the girls sitting next to them. The snobbish girls decided that they had had enough and stormed out of the compartment, shooting irritated glares at Sirius, Peter, Mary and Alice.

Surveying the scene, James burst into laughter and Lily giggled for a few moments before catching James' eye and joining in his mirth too.

"Shut it Prongs, and you too Lily-Flower. This is no laughing matter." whined Sirius, which only made the other five burst into fits of chuckles.

Lily suddenly realising what Sirius had called her said, "Hey! Don't call me that."

"Whaaststhematterrr Lily-Flower?" queried Sirius once he was able to choke back his barking laugh.

"Don't call me Lily-Flower, Sirius…" repeated Lily.

"Too late. Lily-Flower it is." declared Sirius with an air of finality much to Lily's exasperation.

"But...but…" spluttered Lily looking towards James and Remus for support. They only shrugged in response and it was Peter who spoke, "Give it up Lily. Sirius can be as stubborn as a mule and you know that…"

Alice and Mary simply smiled at Lily as if trying to tell her to accept it. She realised that they had become comfortable with the Marauders, enough to become friends with them.

Lily sighed. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "_Lily_-_Flower_ it is." she repeated with a slight frown.

"Look" cried Mary, pointing towards the window.

They all turned toward the window and caught the first glimpse of Hogwarts. The same thought was running through their heads, 'This was home.'

"Oh I almost forgot. Lily, we have patrol now." said James, startling Lily out of her reverie. Lily was flustered and kind of embarrassed that she had forgotten and that she had to be reminded by James.

As they left the compartment for the second time, Mary supposed, "It would be great if they got together. They are just _perfect_ for each other…"

"How I wish Mary, at least then we would be spared the trauma of hearing how much James _loves_ Lily!" laughed Remus and they joined in his laughter.

**A/N- Hey there. So this is my first Harry Potter fanficcy and I hope I'm doing a good job with it. But, I would know for sure if you would R & R. Constructive criticism and suggestions on how to make my story better are totally welcome. Please review. Pretty, pretty, please with a cherry on the top. **

**Cheers, **

**Authoress A! xD **


	2. Chapter 2 Welcome to Hogwarts!

**Chapter 2 is now up for grabs! **

**A/N- Thank you soo much ****Cookies and Cream1234567**** for your review! It really does wonders for my spirits! =) It always feels good to get positive reviews from readers! I hope you enjoy this chapter since it is dedicated to you, My First Reviewer! x) **

The train slowed right down and finally stopped. Lily and James stepped off the train to shepherd the First years when they heard the familiar call of Rubeus Hagrid, the groundskeeper and also a good friend of the Marauders and Lily.

"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here! All righ' James?" beamed Hagrid, evidently enjoying the sight of James and Lily trying to put the First years in some kind of order.

"Hagrid! It's great to see ya big fellow!" called James back, grinning at the big, hairy face of the half-giant.

"Blimey! Yeh made Head Boy? Well, congratulations are in order then, me boy?" questioned Hagrid, with a look of wonder passing across his face.

Hagrid walked over to James, almost knocking over some insignificant First-ies in his excitement to see James, and thumped him so hard on his back that James' glasses were knocked off in the bargain!

"Firs'-years follo' meh!" called Hagrid again as they set off towards the boats that would take them across the lake and to the castle. Slipping and faltering, the First years followed Hagrid down a narrow winding path with small amounts of trepidation.

The two heads waited to see the last of the younger students off and then made their way towards the carriages that would take them and the rest of the students to Hogwarts.

"Lily, James, so you've decided to grace us with your presence now, have you?" cracked Sirius, who seemed to be a little drunk on his enthusiasm to return to the magnificent Hogwarts Castle.

"It's too bad for you we have to share a carriage till the castle, Black. I might just feel the impulse to stab you in the gut!" said Lily, shooting a stern look at Sirius.

And Sirius, not one to take an insult without retaliating said, "Oh! Then the last thing that I would see would be your face! I'd rather die a thousand deaths, Flower!"

Lily answered Sirius by shoving him hard between the shoulders. Sirius landed onto Remus who simply hurled him onto Alice, who screamed and pushed him onto the floor of the carriage. Sirius decided that he had had enough and pulled Lily, James and Alice down and started to thump each of them of the head till Mary tickled the life out of him.

During this mega combat, Peter said rather loudly, "Hey! Guys stop! We've reached!" and the following commotion ensued.

"Ouch"

"Gerroff me Padfoot"

"Shut up Prongs, I'm trying!"

"Aaah! You're pulling my hair Potter!"

"Don't step on me!"

"I can't feel my legs Alice!"

"Who pinched me?"

Remus was sure he had seen enough and tried to straighten out the mess that his friends were in right now. He said rather commandingly, "Okay. Listen. Padfoot, leave Lily's hair. Prongs, shut up and stand up, will you? Alice, leave Padfoot's neck now! I'm not sure we want him alive though…"

Sirius growled at Remus and then proceeded to get himself off the ground in one piece. "Damn! Alice, you have a grip of steel." winced Sirius, tenderly rubbing his neck.

Lily gingerly sat up and wondered how she had landed up as friends with the boisterous Marauders. She gave herself and Alice a once-over and proclaimed that they were in one piece nut the same couldn't be said for poor James who was the base of the pile-up!

James' robes were disheveled and his hair was sticking up at the back worse than ever. He groaned, "I'm gonna get you for this Padfoot."

"James hurry! We can't be late…" said Lily, her despair seeping into her tone.

They managed to clamber out of the carriage and hurried into the Grounds of Hogwarts. They raced up the flight of stairs and were completely out of breath by the time they reached the Entrance Hall. Mary had a stitch in her side and was grumbling under her breath. Alice, Remus and Peter stalked off, all the while shooting daggers at Sirius.

James spoke up first, "Padfoot, get the hell out of here. Go to the Great Hall and save seats for Lily and me. We'll be right with you."

Sirius walked out of the Entrance Hall with a swagger that made Lily want to burst out in laughter. She checked herself and addressed James. "I wish those midgets would hurry up!"

"You mean the First years?" asked James, surprised. He hadn't ever heard Lily talk like _that_ before.

"Yes James. Thanks to your mate Sirius, I'm bruised all over. I'm just waiting to reach the Great Hall…" Lily trailed off.

"Here they are." said James after a couple of moments. Professor Minerva McGonagall was leading them into the Great Hall in single file. It amused James to see how many of them were in states ranging from nervousness to high anxiety and some were even hyperventilating! Meanwhile, Lily was remembering her first walk into the Great Hall many years back. She remembered walking in with Severus and felt a pang of sadness as she thought about how their friendship had been wrecked. Some of this sadness must have showed in her eyes, as James noticed her expression and asked, "Are you alright Lily?"

Lily snapped, "Of course I am Potter. Why wouldn't I be?"

James looked hurt and mumbled, "No…I just….never mind."

Lily saw the concern etched upon his face and immediately felt bad for the way she spoke to him. "I'm sorry James. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. It's just that….I was, uh, thinking about…Snape." she clarified. "I was just remembering my first walk into the Great Hall…"

"Oh. I didn't mean to pry into….you know…you and Snivellus…uh Snape." said James. Then he said, "Forget about that git, Lils. He's not worth it. You've got the Marauders now."

They introduced themselves to the first years and sent them on their way.

But the First years were not the only thing on Lily's mind. Lily was pleased that she could count on the Marauders to be with her. She had always had Alice and Mary. They were her best friends. And gaining the Marauders' liking was never a priority for Lily; in fact, she had disliked them for the majority of her life at Hogwarts. But now that James had changed and was not asking her out every five minutes, she had gotten to know them pretty well and admired them for their sense of loyalty and courage though sometimes she felt that they were also stupidly courageous, not caring about their own necks at times. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize what James had called her.

McGonagall's voice came piercing through her thoughts, "Lily. James. You may take your places in the Great Hall. And James, make me proud."

James coloured and said, "Yes, Ma'am, Yes."

McGonagall gave a hint of a smile and swept out of the Entrance Hall. Lily and James followed her and made their way to the Gryffindor House Table where Sirius and Mary were saving seats for them.

They entered just as the sorting had begun. They watched as the First years one by one were sorted into the four different houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Whenever someone was sorted into Gryffindor, Sirius and James would jump up on the table and clap harder than anybody else. Lily and Mary shook with silent laughter that they tried to contain it but miserably failed as they watched Remus try to pull James and Sirius off the table!

The crowd instantly quietened as Albus Dumbledore got to his feet. He beamed down at all the students as though he was genuinely pleased to see all of them.

"Welcome", he said. "To all the new students, Welcome. To all the old students, Welcome Back! I just have a few words for you. Tuck in!

The students burst into thunderous applause and loud cheers as Dumbledore sat down though the First-ies all looked a little overwhelmed!

All at once, the golden platters that adorned the long house tables were filled with delicious food and wonderful aromas wafted up the nostrils of those sitting at the table. There was Yorkshire pudding, pork chops, peas, carrots, potatoes, roast beef, roast chicken, gravy, sausages, and even Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans!

After the last of the delectable puddings disappeared from the tables, Dumbledore stood up again and addressed the students. "Now that you are all fed and watered, I have a few announcements to make. Let us welcome the new Head Boy and Head Girl for this year-Lily Evans and James Potter." At this many people cheered and there was a lot of speculation as to how James Potter became head boy.

The Headmaster clapped too and then continued, "The Forbidden Forest is out of bounds for all students except during Care of Magical Creature Classes. Quidditch captains take note, Quidditch practices can be fixed starting next week. For the Seventh Years, this is your last and most crucial year of your examinations-NEWTS. But don't forget to slip in few moments of relaxation too. I will not bore you anymore. Off To Bed!"

And with that, the students filed out of the Great Hall following their house prefects.

"Lily and James please stay back. I will show you to the Head's Quarters." said McGonagall, before they could leave the Hall.

"Uh… See you in the morning then Ali, Mary." said Lily as her friends left. "Don't forget to set the alarm Mary! See ya too Remus, Sirius, Peter…" she added.

James merely supplemented with a yawn, "See ya Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail, and Ladies Alice and Mary…"

"Parting is such sweet sorrow Jamesie-poo!" joked Sirius, who hardly ever was serious!

"Shove it Sirius" yawned James.

Under McGonagall's stern glance, the rest of the Seventh years trooped out and made their way to the Gryffindor Tower. She said, "Come with me James, Lily."

McGonagall lead the way to the Gryffindor Tower, but instead of going through the portrait hole where the Fat Lady presided, they took a left turn into a short corridor. At the end of the corridor there was a portrait of a rather regal looking Black Knight.

"The password is Phoenix Tears. You can change the password as often as every week but no sooner. I will leave you to get settled. Your trunks are waiting in your respective bedrooms. Goodnight." she finished with rare smile. Those two were her favourite students though she would never admit it. She did like James too since he was, by all means, a bright and intelligent student albeit a trouble-maker and a cause of her graying hair along with Black. And Lily was Lily. Charming. Vivacious. Very Intelligent. And most definitely NOT a rule-breaker!

"Goodnight Professor", said Lily and James and climbed through the portrait hole.

Their first reactions were of awe and surprise. The portrait opened into a sitting room that was decorated with Gryffindor hangings, seeing that both the heads were from Gryffindor. There were bookshelves on both sides of the room filled with books that Lily was itching to lay her hands on. And even James was curious enough to want to flip through some of them. There were a couple of couches arranged around a coffee table in a snug manner and two armchairs too. Behind the couches, there were two desks, one each for them, facing each other; and comfortable looking chairs sat behind the desks. There was a slightly raised platform behind the desks from which a short flight of steps led to the next level. From the landing, it divided further into two sets of steps. The left steps led to the Head Boy's room and the right steps to the Head Girl's room.

Lily exclaimed, "I'm speechless!"

"Wow!" breathed James, incapable of saying anything further.

"Let's explore!" they said in unison and Lily giggled in excitement. James took one look at the beautiful redhead's face and chuckled. This was going to be a fun year!

"What are you waiting for?" asked James and he sprinted across the room.

**So that's the Second Chappie of my dear fanficcy! I have one, only one, simple request….Read & Review! Please send your suggestions, thoughts, anything in the form of reviews so I know if I'm going the right way! **

**Cheers, **

**Authoress Angst! =)**


	3. Chapter 3 First Day of Seventh Year

**Disclaimer- Even in my wildest dreams, the glorious J. doesn't give me ownership of HP! **

***mumbles to myself* Dream on! **

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Thank you ****EvahBlack8378 ****and ****Cookies and Cream1234567 ****for the reviews! I 3 Reviews! **

**And now, without further ado…*drum roll*… I present to you, Chapter 3… *round of applause***

* * *

><p>Lily's eyes fluttered open the next morning as the slanting rays of the sun danced through the window panes, and not immediately recognizing the room she was in, she leapt out of bed. It took her a few moments to realise that she was not in her old dormitory but in her own bedroom, one of the perks of being the head girl.<p>

She took a minute to study her room. It was pleasantly decorated with a light cream wallpaper and mahogany furniture. There was a medium sized bed decked with cushions and pillows of all sizes. On either side of her bed, there were small bedside tables with intricate carvings on them. Opposite the bed was a large wardrobe where the house elves had already placed her robes and muggle clothing. There was a huge window that was bedecked with gold and red hangings, matching the ones in the sitting room. Lily walked towards the window, and it was only then that she realised what a stunning view was available at her fingertips.

Lily exclaimed in wonder, "Wow! This is something!"

The view looked like something out of a work of art. She could see the faraway mountains and the great lake and some pointed tops of the turrets of the castle. The hazy mist that was associated with dawn created a more mystical aura to the whole scene. Lily was enchanted by the beauty of the sight.

She got dressed leisurely and pinned up her long curls. After critically surveying her reflection in the gilded mirror in her spacious bathroom, she pronounced herself all set for the first day of her seventh year.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in the other Head's bedroom, which was the identical twin to the Head Girl's room; the scene unfolding was starkly different. Where the environment in Lily's room was calm and serene, much like her disposition; the atmosphere of James' room was slacker, more like his outlook on life.<p>

James woke up to the shrill noise of his alarm clock. It gave him a real start as he wasn't used to waking up this early during the holidays. He hit the snooze button, hoping to catch a few more winks before having to get up.

A few moments turned into a few minutes which turned into a half-hour!

"Shoot!" cried James with a desperate jump off his bed as he suddenly realised that he was running late. He intended to land on his feet, but his legs were all tangled up in his blanket so he ended up crashing onto the floor and into his bedside table.

"Damn it!" he muttered to himself, "I simply cannot be late today. Not today!"

James hastily showered and dressed, barely managing to tame his unruly hair. In one sweeping motion, he picked up his pyjamas, tossed them into a clothes hamper and grabbed his school bag. James checked his clock, which read fifteen minutes past seven, and relaxed. He decided to go to the Gryffindor common room and wait for the rest of the Marauders.

As he left his room, he bumped into Lily, who was also leaving her room, ready for breakfast.

James hastened to apologise, knowing how tetchy Lily could get in the mornings. She really wasn't a morning person but nor was he for that matter, "Oh. Sorry there Lily." Then he added, "Good morning by the way."

"Morning James." said Lily brightly, looking forward to seeing her friends. "Do you want to go for breakfast now or..." she asked.

"Actually I was going to see if Padfoot and Moony were up." replied James. "Want to come with me to the common room? You could see if Alice and Mary are also up, you know."

Lily thought over it for a second and smiled. "Sure."

They climbed out of the portrait hole and set off for the common room. It wasn't a long walk till the common room and they reached quite quickly. The only thing they didn't count on was that they needed to know the password to get into the common room!

James said to the Fat Lady, "Hey. Let us in wont you."

"Tell me the correct password and I will", replied the Fat Lady staunchly.

"Come on. We're the Heads now. We swear we're up to no mischief!"

Lily rolled her eyes at this.

The Fat Lady did not reconsider. "Password" she said again firmly.

Lily, who was tired of waiting outside the portrait hole, said, "James, give it up. Tell Sirius to give the password to you at breakfast. Let's go wait in the Great Hall."

"Fine" replied James, sulking at the fact that he didn't get his way. "Look at you! Sulking like a little child denied candy!" laughed Lily, amused at his expression.

James merely muttered something incomprehensible and walked towards the Great Hall with Lily following silently.

The ceiling of the Great Hall was a pale blue and several clouds floated placidly across the mock sky. They were among the first people in the Hall and took seats somewhere in the middle of the vast table. Not a few minutes had passed when Lily spotted Alice and Mary walking in and the Marauders were not so far behind. They spotted Lily and James and approached them.

"Prongs! We missed you! The dorm just isn't the same without you and your smelly socks." burst out Sirius, "And you too, Flower!" "Slept well?" he added with a wink.

James grunted his mouth full of toast, "Oh sod off Padfoot."

Lily chose to ignore Sirius and hugged Alice and Mary.

Alice exclaimed, "You know it was so weird not to have you around Lily."

"I know! We were almost late because no one set the alarm!" complained Mary, whose blond ringlets were still wet from her shower.

"Oh! Well, don't forget to set the alarm tonight then!" laughed Lily.

The girls and the Marauders took seats beside Lily and James; the Marauders were a bunch of sleepy heads and were practically falling asleep into their plates. Alice's long time boyfriend, Frank Longbottom, their classmate as well as a Gryffindor; also joined the group for breakfast.

As the last of the breakfast things disappeared, Professor McGonagall walked up the table and handed out the seventh year's timetables.

Lily scanned the parchment and said, "Mine's the same as last year."

"So is mine."

"Mine too..."

"Yeah. Same schedule"

"Well, that's that." said James, ending that particularly uninteresting conversation. "Best be on our way now. Don't want to annoy old McGonagall on the first day back, right?"

"No way Prongs. Not after last time!" moaned Sirius, who had had many horrible experiences of detentions with the strict professor.

Lily, Alice, Frank, James, Sirius and Remus had Transfiguration while Peter and Mary had Care of Magical Creatures. Peter had not gotten the required OWL to continue with Transfiguration and Mary had dropped the subject altogether. Both had decided to continue with CoMC as they excelled in it and shared a passion when it came to magical creatures.

The friends walked out of the Great Hall together and went their separate ways; the Transfiguration students to the first floor classrooms and Peter and Mary left the castle, following some of the other CoMC students.

They hurried to the Transfiguration classroom and saw that the tables and chairs had vanished. Instead, there were assorted items scattered around the room. All the Transfiguration students aimlessly wandered around the room waiting for the Professor to arrive.

Lily supposed, "Maybe we have a practical today."

Alice gave a non-committal shrug and went back to discussing her favourite Quidditch team with Frank. Lily looked around and saw James and Sirius changing people's black school robes into psychedelic hues while Remus just looked on. Lily watched them with a slight frown but decided not to say anything since they were not hurting anyone.

Professor McGonagall strode into the class room and the students fell silent at once.

She commanded, "Settle down. Black, Potter. I know it was you. Change the colours back."

Without pausing, she continued, "Today we begin the preparation for the NEWT level examinations that you will be taking at the end of this year. The Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test will test all your knowledge in the magical subject and it is imperative that you work your hardest this year or else face the consequences. Today we will begin with practising Transfiguration tasks right from the beginning of your magical education. Starting with what you learnt in your first year at Hogwarts till now."

"We will start with transfiguring matchsticks to needles. You may begin."

A series of groans filled the room at this declaration. This was going to be a long lesson.

* * *

><p>"My brains feel like mush!" groaned Sirius at lunch. At all the classes they had attended in the morning, the professors had virtually repeated everything that Minerva McGonagall said to them in the beginning of the day.<p>

"Not much change then, huh Padfoot" replied Lupin, who was feeling rather cranky after a particularly difficult Arithmancy lesson.

James sighed, "Tell you what. I have a feeling we're going to be hearing a lot more of these kinds of lectures today."

"Smart, real smart James. Glad to know you noticed _that_." said Lily, her words dripping with sarcasm.

Frank added, "It's not even doing us any good. They're only giving us more and more stress, that's all." He had decided to sit with them today and joined the depressing discussion.

Peter, who was stuffing his face with food, merely nodded his head at Frank and went back to hogging on the pudding. Mary was much too depressed with the day's happenings and sat quietly, only speaking when spoken to. James dug into his mashed potatoes with a vengeance. Sirius and Lily were arguing about whether or not Ancient Runes was an important subject. Remus grumbled, remembering the foot long essay they had been assigned in Charms. Even Lily, whose best subject was Charms, was alarmed at the amount of work given to them on the first day back. Alice was dozing off on Frank's shoulder and he was gazing at her with a mixture of worship and adoration. "He's whipped." Thought Remus as he watched the two of them.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day passed in the same fashion. At the end of the lessons for the day, the seventh years looked haggard and worn out. They spent every class revising what they had learnt in their previous years at Hogwarts and were thoroughly spent.<p>

They trooped back to the common room to wash up after a particularly difficult Herbology lesson with Snargaluff pods; sporting vicious looking scratched along their arms and went to the Great Hall for dinner.

The entire hour that they spent in the Great Hall was without conversation. They were much too tired to hold up a conversation and simply shovelled food into their systems. Even Alice and Sirius, who were by far the most hyperactive of the lot, were bushed and went to bed early. It was a long day for the NEWT level students.

Lily was thankful that they did not have patrols that day as usually the staff patrolled during the first week of school.

She and James said their 'goodnights' and trudged to their own common room. They barely made it and as soon as they reached, they crashed into their beds and fell into a blissful slumber. So sound asleep were they that they didn't notice two school owls, each flying into one bedroom and placing a small white envelope sealed with the Hogwarts crest, on a bedside table.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- And that's a cliff-hanger for you people. Who sent the letter? What's in it? Stay tuned for more...! R & R **

**If you can read, then you can write. And if you can write, so can you read. Therefore, ****read ****my ficcy and ****write**** a review! xD**

**Cheers, **

**Authoress Angst! =) **


	4. Chapter 4 The Meeting with Dumbledore

**I hereby present to you…Chapter 4!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter under any circumstances. That really is depressing. *authoress storms off crying* **

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Thank you for that wonderful review ****EvahBlack8378****. And I visualize all the details before penning it down so that the end product is as good as if I was actually standing in that particular scene and then writing about it. And ****Lola-Leexx, ****I'm blown away! Literally! =)**

**And sorry for the delay but there was some glitch in the system that didnt let me upload new files! =/**

* * *

><p>James woke up next morning and saw a white envelope sitting squarely on his bedside table. He didn't think much of it and instead showered and dressed for breakfast. He was in a hurry. He had made sure he set his alarm the previous day as he wanted to book the Quidditch pitch for practice at the earliest. This was James' last year in Hogwarts and he wanted to win the Quidditch cup for his house; and thrashing Slytherin on the way would be an added bonus.<p>

It was with these thoughts that James Potter strolled down the flight of steps and strode into the sitting room of the Head's quarters. He found Lily pacing up and down the carpeted floor and walked up to her with unease.

James exclaimed after watching her for a few seconds, "Hey, now don't burn a hole in the rug, Lily." "I have a feeling it's new." He joked.

Lily didn't believe in wasting time with niceties. She immediately launched a series of questions towards him. "Did you see the letter? Did you read it? Dumbledore mentioned he sent you a letter too. Why do you think Dumbledore sent us private letters?"

James took a second to consider all the questions being thrown at him and then cautiously replied, "Yes, I saw the letter. No, I didn't read it and wait; did Dumbledore _really_ send us both letters?"

Lily groaned exasperatedly. "James, did you even open it or flip it to see who it was from?

James shook his head. "I thought it was from Mum and Dad. And I was in a hurry to book the Pitch so I thought I would flip through it later."

"Apparently all you can think of is Quidditch, huh Potter?" sniped Lily. She wondered how idiotic boys could get when it came to their favourite sport. "Just go and get it James."

"I'm on it" called James as he jogged towards his bedroom.

He returned clutching the slightly crumpled envelope and slit it open. A neat piece of parchment with loopy handwriting fell out and he picked it up with slight trepidation and anticipation.

It read,

_Dear James Charles Potter, _

_I congratulate you upon becoming the Head Boy of our beloved Hogwarts and I trust you will fulfill your duties with utmost sincerity. _

_I will cut to the chase now. I wish to see Head Girl-Lily Evans and yourself in my office at 8.30 tonight to discuss some matters of vital importance. Please do not reveal any details to anybody. It would be better to keep the knowledge of what I am going to tell you to yourselves. _

_I particularly enjoy Fizzing Whizbees._

_Albus Dumbledore,_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_Order of Merlin (First Class), Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Magwump, International Confed. of Wizards._

-x-x-

James reread the letter and then asked, "Okay. Vital importance? What do you think he wants to speak with us about?"

"Beats me. Maybe Head Duties? Or something like that?" replied Lily feebly. She knew that it had to be something really serious for the Headmaster to tell them to keep it a secret.

James voiced her thoughts a few seconds later. "It's supposed to be a secret then. We cannot tell anybody about the meeting."

Lily nodded her head in assent. "That was kind of _obvious_ James!" Said Lily, and both of them chuckled in amusement.

"I suppose 'Fizzing Whizbees' is the password to his office." assumed Lily, after reading the letter for the umpteenth time.

They hadn't realised how long they had taken to read and discuss their letters and a loud commotion from outside the portrait hole grabbed their attention.

"Let me in! I demand you to. I'm the Head Boy's best mate and I deserve to get in!" declared none other than Sirius Black, Marauder Extraordinaire.

"Padfoot" muttered James in slight annoyance with a tinge of amusement. He took a glance in Lily's direction to gauge her reaction. Her head was cocked towards the portrait hole and she was leaning towards it as if to hear more clearly the racket that Sirius was creating.

"You didn't give him the password?" asked Lily in wonder.

"Well, no. See, I didn't know if it was okay with you and since it's your room too I thought I'd ask you first before telling Padfoot, and the others, the password." Answered James kind of sheepishly.

"Oh! That was considerate of you James. I guess its fine to tell them the password. Then I can tell Alice and Mary it too!" Lily was taken aback by this uncharacteristic display of sensibility.

"I guess he has turned over a new leaf then." thought Lily.

The annoying voice in her head said, "And all for you."

She pushed the voice to the back of her mind and smirked at James, "You better let your lover in now before he tears down the painting!"

And it was that moment that Sirius sang noisily, "Prongs! Jamesie-poo! Where are youuu?

Lily couldn't control the building laugh in her chest and let it all out! "Jamesie-poo! OH MY GOD JAMES!" she burst out, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Crap! Let him in James before he ruins the Dark Knight's self-control!"

James replied dryly, "I think he's already done that." James swung open the painting and Sirius fell through.

"About time. I was starting to wonder what was going on in here." Insinuated Sirius, waggling his eyebrows at James and Lily.

Lily treated him to her famous Lily Evan's Eye roll. Every student and faculty member had seen Lily Evans roll her eyes at least a billion times in their lives!

"See, the thing is….IM HUNGRY! So let's GO!" said Sirius, ignoring the muffled snorts from Lily and with that he linked arms with James and Lily and pulled them out of the hole and frog marched them all the way to the Great Hall amidst the amused stares of fellow Hogwartians.

"You do know that we are perfectly capable of walking on our own Sirius!" grumbled Lily, who hated to be the center of attention.

"Shut up Flower" said Sirius with the politest tone imaginable.

They finally reached the Gryffindor table and Lily parked herself between Alice and Mary who scooted over to make space for the girl with the mortified look on her face.

Lily barely nibbled on a piece of toast before the bell rang signaling the beginning of lessons. The seventh years all stood up with a resigned look on their faces. They knew the classes were going to be the same as the previous day and were surrendering to their fates.

* * *

><p>It was after another tiring day of lessons that the seventh year Gryffindors, trooped to the Great Hall for supper. Supper was a rather subdued affair, as news of the death of one their classmate's mother at Death Eaters' hands had reached them. Everywhere in the hall, people were discussing the magnitude of crimes committed by the mass murder Voldemort and how he was trying to overthrow the Ministry of Magic to assume total dictatorship.<p>

The only house which seemed unperturbed was Slytherin; they were their usual slimy selves.

It made James sick to the core when he looked towards the Slytherin tables and saw them joking and fooling around. It was as though those gits were celebrating the death of Bertram Aubrey's muggleborn mother. James knew most of them felt that Purebloods were of a higher status and believed in blood purity. To James, this was a whole load of tosh. Although he was a Pureblood, he and his family didn't support Voldemort's view on blood purity.

Sirius followed James' gaze and his face hardened. He could see Regulus sitting with his future Death Eater pals and felt sick. He couldn't forgive his brother for intending to join Voldemort, after Hogwarts, in his hunger for power. His family had disowned him for not being loyal to their Pureblood notions that were of superiority, yet they set Regulus upon a pedestal for wanting to join a murderer and become a follower just because he believed Muggle-borns were inferior to Purebloods.

Everybody returned to their common rooms, after supper, either to finish up the last few inches of parchment for Professor Slughorn on the properties of Boomslang skin or to begin Professor Binn's essay on Goblin Wars.

Everyone except Lily and James. They had an appointment to keep.

* * *

><p>At twenty past eight, the two head students left for their appointment with the Headmaster.<p>

"So Lily, do you know the way to Dumbledore's office?" asked James as they walked across one of the many corridors in the castle.

"Yes. Actually I do" replied Lily. She enjoyed watching James' expression of astonishment.

James was surprised. "What! You've been to his office?"

Lily grinned at the memory. "Yes James. It was in our first year and I was terribly homesick. He saw me in one of the unused classrooms and treated me to some hot chocolate. Most of my worry disappeared at the sight of Dumbledore in his nightshirt and wooly cap! It was simply too funny to be upset!"

"No way!"

"I'm not even going to ask how you know the way to Dumbledore's office because I think you and Sirius already have it memorised!" said Lily, she knew how often the Marauders got into trouble; Remus and Peter, not so much as James and Sirius.

James retorted, "You could bet on that."

"Oh I know..." smirked Lily.

They turned around a corner and faced a large and extremely ugly stone gargoyle.

"Fizzing Whizbees" said James confidently and gargoyle sprung to life and hopped aside as the wall behind it split in two. Behind the wall was a spiral staircase which was moving upwards smoothly, much like an escalator. They stepped onto the moving staircase that rose higher and higher. Lily went slightly dizzy and closed her eyes. She was prone to motion sickness from her childhood and this was one of the reasons why she did not feel to good on a broomstick. She involuntarily leaned towards James and he steadied her with a muscular arm.

"Thanks" she muttered her face green.

James mumbled, more to himself than Lily. "My pleasure Evans, my pleasure."

They could see a gleaming oak door ahead and Lily tapped the door with the brass knocker in the shape of a griffon.

"Ah. Come in." called Dumbledore at once. "Right on time." he remarked.

Lily and James greeted their revered headmaster. "Good Evening Professor Dumbledore."

"Yes, it certainly is. Pleasant weather... Perfect for Quidditch..." he rambled.

Then he straightened up and said to them, "Please take a seat and listen very carefully to what I am about to tell you."

James and Lily immediately sat down and paid rapt attention.

"You both know of Voldemort, and how he is trying to take over the wizard and the muggle world, right?" Lily and James nodded at once, eager to hear what Dumbledore had to say and the Headmaster continued. "He is gaining power and is seeking out followers. Followers to do his bidding."

Dumbledore had a grave expression upon his face. "It is with great lament that I must inform you that he is succeeding. His 'Death Eaters', as they call themselves, are looking for younger recruits; as young as Hogwarts students."

At this, both Lily and James paled. They hadn't thought that such a thing would happen.

"How do you know this?" blurted James, then reddening at his brusqueness.

Dumbledore responded, "I have my ways James."

"What can we do?" asked James.

"There must be some way we can help. What should we do?" questioned Lily.

"Can the Death Eaters enter the castle?" wondered James.

Lily speculated, "Why can't the Ministry capture him? Or is he too devious?"

The twinkle returned to Albus Dumbledore's eyes. He knew he had made the right decision in choosing the two students in front of him to lead the school. He held up a hand and Lily and James fell quiet.

"First of all, the students of Hogwarts are well protected from attacks from Voldemort and his cronies and I do not think he would imagine it necessary to attack the school. However, we do not know how he attempts to recruit students. And it is here that I require you assistance. This is where you come in. You must keep your eyes peeled for any suspicious activities and immediately inform me or Professor McGonagall, who would contact me as soon as possible."

He went on, "As students, you may hear or witness things that might remain unknown to the staff. You can help in this way. I hope I have been able to impress upon you the severity of this situation."

"Of course Sir." said James at once.

"Anything to help Professor." added Lily. She was still shaken at the gravity of what was going on in the outside world.

"And remember, help is always given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."

James and Lily recognised the dismissal and rose to leave. Their minds were furiously whirring. They were not _forced_ to do this. This was something they _wanted_ to do. And that made all the difference.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- And another chappie out for you. Did you like it? Did you find something lacking? What did you think about this chapter? R & R folks! =)**

**Cheers,**

**Authoress Angst! xD**


	5. Chapter 5 Splash!

**Chapter 5 of my dear FanFiccy! **

**Disclaimer- I do not own anything! If I was J., would I be writing a Fan Fiction? O.o I think not. **

* * *

><p><strong>AN-I'm glad I was able to impress you EvahBlack8378! =) I've never thought of becoming a pro! Writing is just a hobby I like to indulge in!**

**There will be some note passing in this chapter. Yes, note passing during a lesson. I know everyone has, no doubt, passed chits and notes during a class! At least I have! =P Anyway, this is the key.**

_Lily_

James

* * *

><p>They returned to their comfortable common room after the meeting with Dumbledore. Lily and James didn't get time to discuss this matter as James had to finish an essay for Professor Flitwick that was due for the next day and Lily was catching up on a reading assignment for Slughorn. These days the seventh years hardly spent moments without textbooks or parchments in their hands.<p>

Out of the corner of her eyes, Lily saw James slam his parchment onto the table and stand up, yawning.

"James." said Lily, watching him rub his eyes. "Do you want to talk about, you know, what Dumbledore said to us…?"

"I want to. I sure as hell want to, but I'm too tired Lily. I can't keep my eyes open." replied James, with a huger yawn.

Lily nodded, "I understand. Go to sleep James. G'night. We can talk about it tomorrow."

James said, "Mmm…Sleep well Lily-Flower" And he trudged up to his bedroom and pulled the heavy door shut.

"Might as well get some sleep too…" thought Lily. Her eyes drooped with the strain of continuous reading.

She too, went up to her room and got ready for bed. She tucked herself in and turned out the lights wishing for pleasant dreams.

* * *

><p>The next morning was soo action packed that the only time Lily and James got to speak to each other was during Transfiguration. They reached the classroom late because of some unexpected Head duties that cropped up. When they reached, they found that their usual seats were already taken. Alice was sitting with Frank, Remus and Sirius and apologetically grinned at Lily.<p>

Lily shrugged and said, "I guess we'll have to sit somewhere else then.

James nodded and led the way to one of the unoccupied desks. They sat down and waited for Professor McGonagall to begin her lecture. Lily was trying to concentrate on what McGonagall was saying but she was continuously distracted by the thoughts swimming around in her head. She sneaked a peek towards James and saw that he wasn't focusing on the professor at all. Perhaps he too was thinking about Dumbledore's request.

James noticed Lily was unusually fidgety and realised that she wasn't paying attention to the drone of McGonagall's voice.

He took out a small part of parchment, scribbled something on it and slid it across the table. Lily picked it up and jotted back and thus began the note passing between the Head Boy and the Head Girl.

What do you think we should do about you-know-what?

_I think we should be extra vigilant during patrols. They're going to start in a couple of days. But till then, we must watch out for any weird or creepy behavior._

But not everybody who stays up late is up to trouble

_More often than not, James. More often than not. _

I think we must scrutinize the Slytherins. Spy on them, maybe?

_James! Just because you hate some of them, it doesn't mean that all of them are bad eggs!_

You would think so. 

_What's that supposed to mean? _

Nothing! Forget that. See, just that it is said that all dark wizards were from Slytherin.

_But see, even if most Dark wizards are Slytherins, most Slytherins are not Dark. _

But that's not the point Lily! 

_Ugh! Just forget about the Slytherins now! Honestly, you can't _only_ suspect _them_. There could be others too…_

What about people who stay out past curfew?

_Yeah…I guess we could watch out for people who stay out past curfew and sneak around once we start patrols. _

One word of advice though, Lily- don't check the broom cupboards! 

_Why? Are you worried I may find Sirius with some girl in there? ;) _

No, he knows better places I'm sure. 

_I'm sure you do too. _

Why, are you jealous, Evans? 

Lily was about to write something back when the James snatched the parchment out of her hands. She looked up and saw McGonagall looking at her.

"Animagus" whispered someone from behind her.

"Uh…Animagus, I think Professor." stuttered Lily. She went red in the face.

"That is correct Ms Evans. If you remember we have covered this in the first year. An Animagus possesses the ability to transform themselves into an animal at will, while still retaining their human mind. But this is a very….." went on Professor McGonagall, shooting a wary look towards James and Lily.

Lily turned around to face Amelia Bones, a pretty girl from Ravenclaw.

"Thanks Amelia", murmured Lily.

James whispered, "Close call"

The bell rang at that moment and Professor McGonagall called out, "Don't forget to submit one foot of parchment detailing the nuances of Cross-Species Transfiguration." And she left the classroom before the groans and complaints could reach her ears.

Sirius pounced on the two of them as soon as the professor left. "Prongs, Lily-Flower, What's going on?"

"Nothing" replied James hastily.

"Why do you ask?" asked Lily, she hoped that Sirius didn't suspect anything was up.

Sirius elaborated, "Ah. You didn't come up to the common room last night, you were late to class and Lily, you're passing notes to James! James!"

"Oh Merlin, Sirius. Don't overreact! We had some Head…stuff…to do last evening and this morning. And during class we were discussing Head stuff again!" explained Lily. She hoped she was convincing enough; she wasn't blatantly lying though, what she had told him _was_ partially true.

James supplemented, "Yeah, and it was important stuff"

"What stuff" asked Sirius, he was still doubtful.

This time James answered, "Sorry Padfoot. Its…well…we aren't supposed to say…you see…." He looked ruefully at Sirius.

"Oh, no worries." replied Sirius as nonchalantly as he was able to. He still couldn't shake off the feeling that something _serious_ had happened.

* * *

><p>Over the next few days, the seventh years were swamped with school work. As a matter of fact, even Quidditch took a backseat to all the work they had to hand in.<p>

It was a welcome reprieve when the weekend arrived. Lily, Alice and Mary decided to sit by the Great Lake and go skinny dipping.

"Ooh! The water's chilly Alice!" howled Lily as she dipped her toes in the water.

"Oh don't be bothered! You'll get used to it" laughed Alice as she watched Lily tip-toeing on the riverbank.

Lily called over the racket the Marauders were making somewhere near the lake, "Let's see if you say the same now!" And with a great heave she shoved Alice into the lake.

"I hate you Lily Marie Evans!" spluttered Alice, drenched to the bone. But she wasn't going to let that pass. She reached out and yanked both Mary and Lily into the lake. All three of them fell into the lake with a huge splash!

"Aaaaaah! Itssss so-sooo coolldddd!" shrieked Mary; she trembled so hard that she looked like a leaf in a storm.

"Oh! Oh! I'm freezing!" yelped Lily, whose fiery hair was now pasted flat on her back.

"HA! Serves you right suckers!" retorted Alice, who was now acclimated to the temperature of the water.

Lily did not answer; she just splashed a large wave of water in Alice's face.

Alice yelled, "Oh you're on, Evans!"

Alice ducked underwater and tugged on Lily's foot. Lily lost her balance and smacked Mary in the face and they tumbled down.

"This is war Prewett!" screamed Mary and started beating the surface of the lake, creating huge waves that smacked them all in the face!

The Marauders, except Peter who was down with a bad head cold, were watching the girls and chose to join them in the water fight.

"Girls, girls, girls!" Sirius called out. "Now, there's no need to fight over me!"

"Who said we were Black? We like _awesome_ Quidditch players. Not riffraff like _you_!" taunted Mary, though she was barely able to talk with the amount of water in her mouth!

"Humph! McDonald, are _you_ sure you're _not_ blind?" snapped Sirius.

"You know what James; I think your little friend needs a good soak." said Lily. And with that she winked at James and tugged Sirius into the lake. Sirius, who was not expecting this, fell in with a resounding splatter.

Sirius roared, "Pfhhhhft! I'll get you for this Flower!"

"Yeah right Sirius. Dream on! It's three on one unless your friends join in." pointed out Alice.

"Moony. Prongs. Get in here! NOW! You're gonna regret this Mary!" shouted Sirius.

Mary rolled her eyes, a perfect imitation of Lily and said, "Make me."

And thus began what came to be called the Epic Water Fight of Hogwarts.

When the students came out of the lake a quarter of an hour later, they were soaked to the bone. Shivering and shaking, they hurriedly squeezed the water from their robes before Lily remembered a handy household spell that dried clothes from 'Weird Wizarding Dilemmas and Their Solutions' a book she had read over the summer vacations.

"Drisserio" she muttered, pointing her wand at each of them in turn.

And just as the sun was setting, the bunch of them entered the castle. Their luck must have been really bad. They ran into Filch and his infuriating kitten, Mrs. Norris.

"I've got you now! Tracking mud onto the floors! And who has to clean it up? Me. I've had enough! Filth and muck…" muttered Filch furiously.

"Damn! We forgot the mud!" grumbled Lily.

"Now what?" asked Remus.

Suddenly a huge crash sounded from somewhere behind them. Filch jumped up and yelled, "PEEVES! I'LL GET YOU THIS TIME!" Filch shuffled out of sight, completely forgetting the group of students he was going to punish!

"Run" hollered James, and they didn't need to be told twice.

Finally panting and clutching stitches in their sides, they reached the Gryffindor Tower.

"Merlin's pants! That was awful!" moaned Mary, who was absolutely dead on her feet. "I totally HATE Filch and his snoopy kitten!"

The arrival of the Gryffindor ghost, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, also known as Nearly Headless Nick, startled them all.

"Did you like my diversion? I presume it worked." said Nearly Headless Nick.

"Oh! That was you" responded Remus and putting two and two together, "You sent Peeves to crash something huh?"

Sirius nodded appreciatively, "Nice one, Nick. We owe you"

Nick beamed at them, "Ah, that was nothing. I'm always there to help my favourite Gryffindors…" and he floated away down one of the passageways.

Lily called as they dispersed, "Anyway, bye guys. See you tomorrow. And don't forget to bring my copy of 'An Anthology of Eighteenth Century Charms', please."

"What? Flower! You still have time to _read for pleasure_?" wondered Sirius, who was having a hard time understanding how Lily could read soo much!

"Oh shut it Sirius!" said Lily, too weary to say anything else. Lily and James strolled back to their own common room and collapsed on the cushy sofas.

Lily said, "What a relief it's the weekend!"

"The water fight was epic! But there was one thing I didn't get to do." said James, he leaned towards Lily and tugged at her ponytail.

"Ouch! Ugh! I hate you James Potter" squealed Lily, and smacked him on the arm. She thought she saw a brief flicker of hurt in his eyes but it passed as fast as it had appeared.

"You know you don't mean that Lils." said James simply.

"Oh yeah. Prove it then." challenged Lily. She didn't expect him to take it seriously.

"I will." said James, "Sweet dreams Lily"

She said, "You too, James."

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Hey everybody. Hope you liked the chapter. Next up are patrols and Lily becoming "aware" of her feelings for James. Stay tuned for more. **

**REVIEWS PLEASE! xD**

**Cheers, **

**Authoress Angst! =D **


	6. Chapter 6 Unexpected Happenings!

**I present to you, my dear reviewers, Chapter 6!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own anything! *Runs helter-skelter looking for comfort food* **

**A/N- A shout out to all my reviewers- ****Cookies and Cream1234567, EvahBlack8378, Lola-Leexx, CrunchieKoo,**** thanks soo much guyz! And thanks to all the people who have added my story to their alerts and favourites. =) **

Lily looked up from the timetables she was creating and gazed at James, who was quietly polishing his broom on the other side of their common room.

Lily's head was spilling over with thoughts. "I really have come to like the Marauders. Remus was always my friend because we were the two Gryffindor prefects and he is so sweet and understanding and always has a perspective on everything. Peter is a friend too, I guess, though I really don't know much about him. He's always so quiet and timid, but that's probably because of having friends like James and Sirius. Sirius has now become like an older brother to me. He's comical and fascinating and charismatic and loyal and, well, I could go on…. And James? What was James to me? James is funny, sweet, cute, charming, and extremely loyal to his friends (and me!), and loveab…." "Lily? You want something" asked James, cutting short her thoughts.

Lily blushed furiously till the roots of her flaming hair. "Oh…yeah…uhm…Check out the timetables. Do the patrol slots for us fit in with your Quidditch practices and stuff?" stuttered Lily, thoroughly embarrassed at being caught _staring_ at _James Potte_r by James Potter _himself_.

James was fighting the urge to laugh out loud. He had realised Lily was staring at him and wanted to have some fun with her. "Yeah sure, hand it over."

Lily looked down at the parchment she was supposed to be writing on and said, "Oh! Wait a second, I still have something to fill in…"

"O-o-0ka-ay Lilykins!" sang James. His voice quivered with suppressed laughs. Lily ignored this.

She was mortified at the fact that she thought James was '_loveable'_! "I wonder where that came from" she thought, appalled at herself.

It took her a few moments to compose herself and she got back to writing out the timetable. A few minutes later she called out to James, who pretended to be fetching some textbooks while in reality he was doubled up in laughter! "Uh, James. I have it ready now."

James hastily moderated his tone of voice and replied. "Sure, I'm coming."

After appraising the piece of parchment that Lily was working on, he commented, "Why do we have the midnight slots?"

"Just be glad it's not every night. The younger prefects have to have the earlier slots and as the Heads, we have to patrol from ten to twelve on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The rest of the days we don't have to patrol, just one round around the castle at ten-thirty."

"Okay. That sounds right. So do you want me to post the copies in the other common rooms?" asked James, who wanted to run to Padfoot, Moony and Wormtail to regale them with the narration of what had just happened!

"That would be nice of you. Then I could finish up my letter to my parents. It's been a long time since I sent them a letter and Athena (her snowy owl) returned with one and half-pecked me to death!

"Shoot. That reminds me. I must write a letter to my mum and dad too." said James as he climbed out of the portrait hole.

Lily started on her letter to her parents, but her mind was not in it. Something was different. She was different now or was it James who was different. She felt very unsettled, as though how an equation might change when a constant is altered. She couldn't pinpoint what was making her feel like this.

"Knock it off, Lily…" She spoke to herself. "Focus. Nothing's wrong with you. Don't get yourself into a knot."

Meanwhile, after James posted the notices in the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin common rooms, he was approaching the Gryffindor common room. He was mentally congratulating himself for being able to control the urge to hex the greasy git, Severus Snape.

As he entered the Gryffindor common room, there was an upheaval as Sirius caught sight of him.

"Prongs, we missed you!" bellowed Sirius, and he pretended to cry into James shoulder.

James swatted away Sirius and said, "Padfoot my man, I just saw you at lunch…"

"But I still missed you. Moony is no fun. Moony said that he wanted to read a book rather than spend time pranking people with me and Wormy doesn't have a free period now." pouted Sirius.

"Oh. I wanted to tell you guys something but I guess I'll tell you at dinner" said James.

Sirius almost jumped at this. "What? What? I want to know now! Tell me!"

James thought it was going to be useless to try and make Sirius wait so he said, "I caught Lily staring at me while I was polishing my broom!"

Sirius' eyes bulged out of his face. "What? Wow! The broom must be re-a-a-lly attractive!"

"Padfoot!"

"Seriously…uh ignore that…Why do you think she was staring?" asked Sirius. "I mean, you're not that good looking at all!"

"Padfoot!" growled James.

"Maybe she noticed you're _different, new and improved_?" said Sirius, hopefully.

James replied, "I sure hope she did! Because it takes a lot of effort, you know."

"I know mate, I know…" sighed Sirius.

Then, changing the topic, James asked Sirius, who had not yet been to the Head's quarters, "ha! Do you want to come back to my common room? I could give you the grand tour."

"Oh sure! As long as I won't be interrupting you and Lily in whatever it is that you do in there…" smirked Sirius.

James teased, "Well, if you don't want to come then…"

"Nice try buddy. I'm coming" said Sirius and they left the Gryffindor common room.

When they reached the Head's common room, they found Lily feeding James' owl with a few owl treats. His owl seemed to really like Lily's red hair and was constantly trying to pull at it.

"Oh! Hoot's here! I guess mum and dad beat me to it Lily" said James as he pulled off the letter attached to the Little Owl's leg. He put the letter on his desk and made a mental note to reply to his parents that night.

"Hey Sirius, what brings you to this fine place?" asked Lily smiling at the dark haired boy.

Sirius declared, "I come here to seek your hand, milady!"

"My hand you shall not get, Sir. But maybe you may like a nice cushion?" said Lily with a twinkle in her emerald eyes.

James noticed the sparkle and groaned, "Uh oh!"

Lily picked up a handful of cushions and pelted them at Sirius. But Sirius was not unarmed. He clutched a bigger sized cushion and used it as a shield. James joined in the fun and soon they had an all-out pillow fight.

Finally when they stopped to catch their breath, Lily said, "With you people around, there can never be silence!"

"You bet!" answered James and prodded Sirius, who was dozing, with his foot. "Come on Sirius, let's go. The bell rang. It's time for dinner."

Sirius grunted in response to all the pokes and prods, "Just a few more minutes…."

"Watch." said James to Lily.

"Sirius, FOOD!" yelled James, and Sirius jerked up and said, "Where?"

"Down…" replied Lily, between giggles, "In the hall…"

"What can a person do around here to sleep?" moaned Sirius.

James sighed, remembering patrols, "Never become a prefect."

Precisely at ten o'clock, Lily and James left the cozy warmth of their common room and patrolled the drafty corridors of the castle.

"Wow! The castle looks so mysterious and amazing at night." said Lily, as she watched the shadows of them dance in the candlelight from the candle stands along the walls.

James agreed with Lily, "It does. That's why the Marauders and I sometimes sneak out after hours. It's like there's a whole other world in the dark."

Lily nodded, "I know."

They walked around the topmost floor of the castle and now were proceeding to the lower floors. All through this time, they kept up an easy flow of conversation. Lily found it to be enjoyable to be in James' company and they had a great time discussing everything from Quidditch to Kneazle cats.

As they turned a corner in the dungeons, Lily heard some footsteps. "James! I can hear someone."

They waited on the other side of the corner and soon enough the tall, lanky figure of Severus Snape came into sight.

James strode forward with Lily a few paces behind. Even though she had severed all ties with the greasy haired boy in front of her, it was hard to forgive him for what he had said to her.

Snape disregarded James; he only had eyes for Lily.

"Lily, please. I'm sorry" said Snape, his eyes flickered to James.

"Go away Snape. Get back to your common room." commanded James. He directed a stern glare toward the Slytherin facing them.

"Since when do I listen to you, Potter?" spat Snape, he did not look away from Lily.

This time Lily answered, "Just leave Snape. I cannot forgive you. You chose _them_, your evil companions over me."

"What about you Lily? How does it feel to be Potter's _girlfriend_?" sneered Snape, anger distorting his face.

"Don't speak to her like that Snivellus!" growled James, anger etched in his face.

Snape drew his wand out and pointed it towards James and Lily. They made identical movements and were facing him with their wands outstretched.

Lily had gone white. She didn't think Severus would point his wand at her. She told her former best friend, "Enough Snivellus. Twenty points from Slytherin for breaking curfew and misbehaving with the Head Boy and Girl."

Snape looked momentarily shocked that Lily had called him Snivellus and pointed his wand at her.

"No. Leave now or else we will report you." said Lily, her wand trained at Snape.

Snape took a step forward and said, "Make me."

James had enough. "Unless you want me to curse you into oblivion, oh yes I will, you will leave NOW." threatened James, his voice betraying his anger. No one could bother Lily and not get a piece of James' mind.

"I will leave, for now." stated Snape as he walked off, stowing his wand away, his black robes billowing behind him.

James and Lily watched him go and didn't let their guards down till they were sure they were alone.

James reassured Lily, "It is okay Lils. I wouldn't let him do anything to you."

Lily looked up and saw James' coffee brown eyes reflecting her own green ones. There was also a fleck of dark purple in them.

"I know James." She said, a slight smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She trusted him.

"Let's get out of here" said James, he directed a glance around the dungeons and then they left.

As they walked back to their common room, James asked Lily tentatively, "Why do you let Snive…uh Snape get to you? Do you want to talk about it?" James knew he was treading on dangerous ground, yet, he wanted to understand the relationship lily had had with Snape.

Lily said, "Did you know Snape was the first one to tell me that I was a witch? He used to live near my house. He was my friend, James. At least, he used to be. Then in fifth year, the incident near the lake, he called me a 'mudblood'. And then he started dabbling in the Dark Arts. How could I be friends with such a person?" Lily felt better after spilling all this out of her heart.

James had a feeling that she was still very upset and decided to cheer her up. "Hey Lily, I've got an idea that will cheer you up. Come with me!"

Lily was surprised, "Uh…Okay!"

He grabbed her hand and pulled her along. He led her all the way over to the other side of the castle and down to the basements.

"Are we near the Hufflepuff's common room?" questioned Lily as she recognised her surroundings.

"Yes Lils. Now watch." replied James as he went up to a portrait of a bowl of fruit and tickled the pear. Lily looked most intrigued as the portrait swung open and revealed an enormous, high ceilinged room whose walls were lined with gleaming pots and pans. There were four long tables in the center of the room.

"James, are we in the Kitchens? asked Lily in awe.

"Why, yes we are Lily-Flower!" exclaimed James.

"Ohh…Wow!"

"Welcome Master James! You have brought a friend too!" squeaked a tiny house elf with a miniature chef's hat perched on her head.

James said to the tiny house elf, "Trixie, this is Ms Lily. We would like to have two steaming cups of hot chocolate with marshmallows on the top please."

Lily turned to James, "How did you know I like my hot chocolate with marshmallows on the top?"

He shrugged, "I pay attention Lils…"

And Lily left it at that.

Trixie the house elf served James and Lily and once they were finished, she asked if they needed anything else.

"No thank you Trixie, we're done here. We will go now." said James graciously.

Lily smiled at the petite elf, "Thank you Trixie!"

"I'm impressed James…" Lily said as they left the magnificent kitchens, "…how did you find the kitchens?"

"Lily, when you're a Marauder, and you have to cope with the ever increasing appetites of Sirius and Peter it's time to do something drastic! We found it in our first year itself!" said James chuckling at Lily's expression of bewilderment.

They joked and teased each other all the way to their common room.

They murmured the password, "mimbulus mimbletonia", and climbed in.

As Lily walked to her room, she turned around and told James, "You're not that bad, Potter, not that bad." And giving him a small smile, she turned on her heels and disappeared behind the heavy oak door.

"I'm not that bad, Evans…" agreed James, and turned out the lights.

**A/N- How did you like this chappie? Read and Review people! I'm planning of something involving a Hogsmeade trip…Do send me your views and whether I should go ahead with it...**

**REVIEWS PLEASE! =)**

**Cheers,**

**Authoress Angst! xD **


	7. Chapter 7 Hogsmeade and Hugs

**Here come Chapter 7….! **

**Disclaimer- I don't own anything. =( *depression sets in* **

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Dear ****EvahBlack8378****, This is a quote for you (that I really like) - **_**No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change. **_

**There may be bad days, everybody has them, but it is up to us if we want to find solace in the little things in life or if we want to crib and complain. So maintain a positive outlook on life. Don't let anyone or anything get to you…**

**And I'm just really happy that my words have put a smile on your face. That is really the best that any author could hope for! **

* * *

><p>Over the few weeks that had passed since Lily and James' first patrol, Lily found herself to be liking James' company more and more, and though she would only admit this to herself, she looked forward to patrols just because they would spend lots of time together. Little did she know that this was the same reason why James' liked to patrol too.<p>

Every night before she could sleep, she would invariably think about the bespectacled, messy haired boy sleeping not too far away. "It is harmless curiosity, that's all." thought Lily, reluctant to confess that she did like James Potter as a '_friend'_. Lily said to herself firmly, "He's _just_ a friend."

Poor Lily was indeed conflicted and tossed and turned through many nights.

* * *

><p>It was now the beginning of October and the greenhouses were submerged in snow, so the Herbology lessons were cancelled and as a result the Seventh years had a few more free periods during the week. During one such free period, Lily and James decided to fix up the dates of the Hogsmeade weekend.<p>

"Let's fix up a Hogsmeade weekend for next week." said James, who was desperately longed to take a break from their hectic schedule of studying and leave the castle.

Lily thought over that and shook her head, "No, not next week. Let's keep it on the week after next, so then we could finish up all our Halloween shopping for costumes and candy and all."

"I guess that makes more sense." agreed James, though he was slightly disappointed to have to wait for soo long. "Or maybe not soo long…" he thought, "…the guys and I could sneak out through the passage beneath the one-eyed witch statue…" James looked considerably happier after that thought.

Then he reconsidered. He hadn't pulled pranks, landed in detention, caused mayhem and madness and was quite proud of himself and he didn't want to jeopardize his friendship with Lily by falling into trouble. "There goes that brilliant plan." thought James. "I can't wait for the Hogsmeade trip!"

He wondered if Lily would want to go with him to Hogsmeade but he didn't want to push his luck by asking her out on a date. "What if she says 'no'?" he wondered, "Maybe I should just ask her to come to Hogsmeade with me and Padfoot, Moony and Wormy….That seems like a good plan."

He mustered up all his courage and asked, "?"

Lily, who was putting the final touches on her DADA essay, looked up in surprise. She asked him quizzically, "Wait, what? What did you say?"

James took a deep breath and repeated, "Lily would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me and the Marauders?"

Lily was faintly startled. She recovered quickly and said, "Oh, I would love to! Alice would spend time with Frank and Mary would probably go with Amos Diggory because they're sort of going out and I thought I was going to be all alone and all…"

"When you have the Marauders, you're never alone Lily." said James, earnestly.

Lily walked up to him and gave him a clumsy-sort-of-half-hug. James froze. Luckily for him, Lily didn't notice that he had stopped breathing.

"Thanks James. I know I can count on you." said Lily, as she beamed at him, her smile lighting up her face.

"I'm always there, Lils, _always_…" replied James, but he was thinking, "If only you did _more_ than just count on me..."

Lily motioned towards the portrait hole and said, "I'm just going to go tell Alice and Mary my plans for the Hogsmeade trip. I guess I'll see you at dinner then."

"Mmhm...Okay." responded James rather wistfully as he watched Lily climb out. He busied himself with completing the set of questions Professor Flitwick had set the seventh years.

Meanwhile in Lily's old dorm, the seventh year girls were having a major discussion.

"Oh My Merlin! James Potter asked you out and you said yes!" shrieked Mary, incapable of trusting her ears.

"Shut up Mary." hissed Alice, who was astounded at such a thing. "Go on Lily…"

"Well, he didn't ask me out exactly. He just asked me if I wanted to spend the day with the Marauders. And I knew that you would go with Frank and Mary probably with Amos and I didn't want to be the third wheel. So I said yes. I mean it's just a harmless outing with the boys. It's not like James and I are alone on a date or something, right?" said Lily beseechingly.

Alice asked Lily, concerned for her friend, "Are you sure? I mean even I really like the Marauders now too, you know. They're great friends and all. But you can definitely come with us! Frank loves you, he wouldn't mind if you came along. You don't have to accept that just because you think you'd be the third wheel."

"Yeah" echoed Mary, "I don't really have to go with Amos…"

Lily reassured the brunette and the golden-haired girl who were concerned about her, "No, no! I'm sure I'll have loads of fun with that bunch of chimpanzees!"

"In that case enjoy your time with James." Alice winked at the red head in front of her. "Have fun!"

"Alice!" protested Lily, "I do not _like_ James Potter!"

"So you say…" said Mary, rather cheekily and she and Alice traded a look.

"Oh come on people! Don't look at each other like that!" complained Lily. Mary gave her another pointed look. "That's it! I'm going! Bye!" huffed Lily, her red head temper rising.

"Wait. Don't go! We hardly get to spend time with each other these days…." said Mary, who missed their carefree evenings and midnight chats with Lily.

"Okay." agreed Lily. "So, tell me, how did you and Amos get together? Have you…."

And the girls continued to trade news into the night. No, they were _not_ gossiping; just exchanging valuable tidbits about everybody.

* * *

><p>On the day of the Hogsmeade trip, the Seventh and the Fifth years were beside themselves with excitement. Both the OWL and the NEWT year students were majorly overworked and they were relieved at escaping from the tower high piles of homework they had to finish.<p>

Lily and James met Sirius, Remus, Peter, Mary, Alice and Frank in the Entrance Hall. They waited for Filch to sign their names off his list and then set out into the pristine, white snow. Alice and Frank went ahead to Madam Puddifoot's and Mary had gone off with Hufflepuff's Amos Diggory.

By now, everybody at Hogwarts had started to notice that Lily, Alice and Mary had become good friends with the Marauders. And naturally this gave rise to many wild rumours.

"_Do you think she's dating James?"_

"_Well, they're going to Hogsmeade together…"_

"_Jeanette told Daphne that she heard Susan tell Amanda that she thinks James and Lily are together, you know, like dating and all because they spend soo much time together these days!" _

Lily and the others ignored such comments and soon the others stopped repeating them too.

As they reached the Wizarding village, Lily asked, "So where are we going first?"

Remus answered, "We were thinking of going to Honeydukes first, then to Quality Quidditch Supplies because Padfoot wanted new gloves and then to the Three Broomsticks for lunch. Do you want to go anywhere else for anything? We have plenty of time…"

"Nope, let's go!" replied Lily rubbing her gloved hands together.

They walked off in the direction of the famous sweet shop that held the fascination of students and teachers alike with its wonderfully weird candies. Sirius broke into a run, pulling Peter along with him, as soon as the flashy signs of Honeydukes came into view.

"Look at them go! I swear Sirius is like a little child!" said Lily, fondly.

James barked out a laugh, "Wait till you see Sirius on a sugar rush." Remus shook his head as he remembered the incident James was referring to.

They walked into the store and were immediately dragged by an impatient Sirius and a harried looking Peter into one of the store's corners.

"What's up Sirius?" asked Lily, amused at Sirius' expression.

"They have a new toffee out and I want you all to try it!" proclaimed Sirius, as he puffed his chest out. He held out a few toffee coloured, well, toffees and offered one each to James, Remus and Lily.

The moment the three of them put it in their mouths; they choked and spat it out!

"What it this?" demanded Lily, her face turning red.

"It's disgusting!" said Remus, as he glared at the boy responsible for this.

James believed that actions spoke louder than words and merely punched Sirius in the arm.

Sirius looked unfazed as he said, "These, my dear Prongs, Moony and Flower, are called Cockroach Clusters!"

"WHAT!" shouted all three of them at the same time!

"You have three seconds to hide Padfoot. Your time starts now. One, two, three!" yelled James and he tried to catch the rascal who was responsible for the ghastly taste lingering on his tongue.

Lily, Remus and Peter paid for the candy and sweets that they had picked up and followed the two play fighting boys out into the cold.

Although Lily was attired in layers and layers of warm clothing, she couldn't help but shiver when a particularly strong wind blew past them. James immediately shrugged off one of his jackets and swung it around Lily's shoulders.

"You don't have to do that." Lily protested. James gave her a stubborn look that said 'don't argue with me'.

"Really! I'm fine." repeated Lily.

James was fed up. "Lily, just wear it. At least for my peace of mind. You wouldn't want to make me upset by thinking you're all cold, would you?" He grinned his stupid, silly grin at here. "Of if you prefer, I could warm you up with my Quidditch toned arms."

Lily gave in, "Alright, alright. Give me your jacket. Happy?"

James beamed at her, "I'm always happy when I'm with you…"

Lily swatted his arm playfully. "Oh shut up, James." But they both knew she did not mean that.

It was a welcome change in the temperature when they entered the crowded Three Broomsticks. It was warm and cozy inside the bar and they quickly sat down at an empty table. Mary was there too, with Diggory, and waved at them. They waved back at her and Mary went back to her date.

Miss Rosemerta, the attractive daughter of the owner, sauntered up to them and asked for their orders.

"A firewhiskey for me Rosie" said Sirius as he winked at the barmaid.

"How old are you Black?" asked Rosemerta.

"Age is just a number, ya' know." Bantered Sirius.

"You are too young Mister Black." replied Rosemerta casually. She was used to declining orders of firewhiskey from Hogwarts students, especially Sirius Black.

"I'm old enough…" he flirted back, shamelessly.

"Okay Padfoot." said Remus, who was getting red behind his ears. "Four butterbeers for us, what about you Lily?"

Lily answered, "A butterbeer for me too."

"Five butterbeers Miss. Rosemerta, thank you." said Remus and the barmaid walked away.

James admonished Sirius. "_Seriously_ Sirius? Don't even laugh. We're with a lady."

Lily laughed and they all looked at her. "You shouldn't see me drink then. You wouldn't call me a lady after that!" Lily joked, completely at ease with the four boys.

"That's something you have in common with Padfoot, here." Said James

Sirius looked stunned, "You think I'm a lady Prongs?" He batted his eyelashes towards James! And blew a kiss towards Remus!

Everyone in the bar looked towards their table because suddenly every single one of them exploded into loud fits of laughter!

They spent a good part of an hour in the Three Broomsticks and decided to get going.

"Look out Prongs." yelled Sirius, throwing a huge snowball at James' head. It went splat against Remus' back instead. Remus retaliated by ramming into Sirius and pushed him into a snow drift.

In a matter of seconds, everybody was pelting everybody with snow balls. James launched snowball after snowball at Lily and Lily dodged them throwing huge snowballs back at him. Remus, Sirius and Peter were having their own war somewhere near Lily and James, though these two didn't realise that as they were soo wrapped up in their own snow fight.

Out of nowhere, a snowball smacked James right in his head and he fell forwards into Lily and they both went crashing down in to the deep snow.

"Oohf!"

Their faces were soo close that their noses were almost touching. Lily couldn't move; she didn't want to, James was soo _warm _and he smelled wonderful, "Like something woodsy or musky…" thought Lily.

James was frozen in place too, or maybe he was taking his time to get up. He could count the tiny freckles on either side of Lily's nose.

Almost at the same time as he bent down and Lily lifted her head up to meet his, Sirius dragged them both up!

The momentary spell was broken. James and Lily sprang apart.

Sirius glared at the two sheepish looking teenagers, "Are you both crazy or what? It's bloody freezing out here. We've been searching for you two!"

"Uh…yeah…Come. We'd better go" stuttered James, and gave a pointed look at Sirius. Sirius had the grace to look guilty at the most and muttered something unintelligible to James, who blushed hard.

Lily was too shocked at herself and the whole situation that she didn't react.

"What did I do? What was I going to do?" thought Lily. "Now what? Oh, this is soo awkward! What am I going to do?"

James' too was silent. "Shit! What just happened? I swear she was going to kiss me! Damn you, Sirius."

He stole a glance at Lily, who like him was trudging through the heavy snow wordlessly. Sirius and Remus seemed to be in deep discussion and James knew he was going to be pumped for information later.

Lily saw that James too, was plodding along mutely. She sighed. "I don't know what to do! Alice and Mary would know. I've got to find them as soon as we get back."

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- What next? Will Lily acknowledge her feelings for James? Or will she remain in denial? Stay tuned. **

**REVIEWS PLEASE! **

**I'm not a mind reader! You need to give me reviews! Read and Review please. **

**Keep smiling! =D**

**Cheers, **

**Authoress Angst! xD **


	8. Chapter 8 Realization!

**Fresh from the press, Chapter 8**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer- If I did own Harry Potter and Co, would I be writing Fan Fiction? Sigh! Who said life was fair? =**

* * *

><p><strong>I'm soo sorry for the delay in uploading. I really have been busy and then I was struck by the evil- writer's block! = Anyway, there's nothing to fear, chapter 8 is here! (I know, I know, that **_**was**_** lame! =P) **

**Thanks for the reviews CrunchieKoo and Bridget! This chappie is dedicated to all the people who have read and reviewed my Ficcy!  
>(There's a hint there fellas…ReViEw…!) <strong>

* * *

><p><em>Previously on When I'm With You….<br>__  
>"What did I do? What was I going to do?" thought Lily. "Now what? Oh, this is soo awkward! What am I going to do?"<br>James' too was silent. "Shit! What just happened? I swear she was going to kiss me! Damn you, Sirius."  
>He stole a glance at Lily, who like him was trudging through the heavy snow wordlessly. Sirius and Remus seemed to be in deep discussion and James knew he was going to be pumped for information later.<br>Lily saw that James too, was plodding along mutely. She sighed. "I don't know what to do! Alice and Mary would know. I've got to find them as soon as we get back."  
>This was going to be a long night.<em>

Sirius, Peter and Remus were animatedly discussing whether or not to attack Argus Filch's office with Dungbombs. As usual, Remus was trying to talk Sirius out of this and Peter was strongly supporting Sirius. James and Lily both wished they would reach the castle as fast as possible. Once they reached the Entrance Hall, James said, "The Marauders and I have to be somewhere now Lily. We'll see you at dinner." Sirius, Peter and Remus exchanged confused glances but did not contradict James. Lily had a sneaking suspicion that she knew what they were going to do.

Lily replied, "Sure. Don't be late."

Lily didn't wait for their response. She turned on her heels and fled. She didn't know where she was going; her feet guided her all the way up till her old dormitory, purely out of instinct.

"Lily, what's wrong?" cried Mary, horrified at Lily's countenance. "Is everything alright?" Mary and Alice were going through the latest Witch Weekly. But now it lay forgotten.

"What happened Lily?" asked Alice, terribly worried for her dear friend. She guessed, shrewdly, "Did James do something?"

Lily tried to say something but no words came out of her mouth. "Say something, Lils!" urged Alice. The pale emerald-eyed girl took a deep breath to calm herself and mumbled, half in a daze, "James almost kissed me."

"WHAT!" shrieked the two girls sitting on the bed facing Lily.

"Yeah, I know…" said Lily, "…and the weirdest thing was that I think I was about to kiss him back."

"Lily, Lily." Said Alice, softly as she reached over and touched Lily's forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

Mary was dumbfounded. She couldn't come to terms with the fact that Lily would acknowledge her feelings for James, however deeply buried they may be. "How?"

"I'm not ruddy joking! I don't know how it happened! It just did!" moaned Lily, running her hands through the mass of tangled hair on her head.

"Why don't you tell us everything right from the beginning." suggested Alice with a half-glance at Mary. Alice and Mary were utterly perplexed and wondered if it was possible that Lily had had a concussion!

"Yeah, okay. We were all at Hogsmead together. Me, Sirius, Remus, Peter and…" Lily faltered, "James… We had a great time. And then on the way back, we had a snow fight. And James and I, somehow landed up alone, together, and we were pelting each other with huge snowballs and then suddenly he crashed into me and we fell." Lily smiled faintly at the recollection and then shook herself.

Mary prompted her, "Then…"

"Then we were close, too close. And he dipped his face forward and I almost kissed him back! Ugh! Why did that have to happen? This is soo embarrassing and awkward! What can I do now?" Lily was freaking out.

There were sharp intakes of breath as Alice and Mary processed all this. Alice took a more clinical approach and asked Lily flat out, "Lily, do you or do you _not_ like James Potter?"

"Alice!" said Lily, affronted.

Mary took on a softer and milder form of questioning. "It's okay, you know, if you do like him. I mean, there isn't any problem if you do. The poor boy would probably die of happiness if you did!"

Lily said firmly, "I do not like him Mary." Then she weakened against Alice's stern gaze. "Just as a friend! Nothing more, nothing less." she amended.

"Are you sure? Because, well, you both spend a ruddy amount of time together." She raised a hand to stop a spluttering Lily from interrupting her. "I know you've got head duties together and the usual. And I know you're really good friends with that lot. Heck, even Mary and I are."

"What we're trying to tell you is that, don't try to suppress your feelings for him or for anybody. It's perfectly normal to fancy someone." Mary intervened, when she saw that Lily was turning defensive.

Lily said more hotly than required, "Not when you've hated the said person for the major part of your existence."

"Come on Lily. You never _hated_ him." Alice told Lily.

Lily said deprecatingly, "You're right. I never hated him. I secretly love him, right? I've been pining away for him all these years."

"Glad to hear you admit it _finally_." replied Alice, equally coolly.

Lily threw a fluffy feather cushion at Alice and moaned, "Ugh! This is awful! How am I ever going to be able to look him in the eye?"

"Take it easy Lils. Maybe you could talk it out or something?" Mary suggested, as she watched Lily bite her lip in frustration.

"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one who has to face Potter after this." Lily snapped back.

Mary was stung; she had only tried to help. "Fine, whatever. Do what you want."

Lily took a look at Mary's crestfallen expression and the momentary feeling of annoyance passed. "Oh Mary, I didn't mean it that way! I'm sorry."

"S'okay, Lily. No hard feelings here, girl." Mary squeezed Lily's hand reassuringly. "It's all going to work out in the end."

"I hope. I just want to be alone right now. I'll see you at dinner." said Lily. She wished to be by herself now, to try and gather her thoughts.

Alice looked a little uncertain. "Uh…are you sure Lils?"

Lily brushed Alice off, "Yeah. I'm fine! I'm sure. I just need to think." And with that, she hopped off the four poster bed and walked through the heavy oak door. "Bye" she called out to the two very confounded girls she left in the dormitory.

Alice shook her head and remarked, "She's the smartest witch in our year, yet, so dense when it comes to a certain James Potter."

"What fates impose, that men must needs abide; it boots not to resist both wind and tide." quoted Mary. Being a child to a wizard mother and muggle father, she was exposed to Shakespeare by her literature-loving dad at an early age.

"What?" asked Alice, surprised.

"Ah…muggle thing." replied Mary and they drifted on to other matters of discussion; namely whether or not they should complete their latest essay on the properties of Moonstone or should they resume their perusal of the latest Witch Weekly.

Poor Lily had more pressing things on her mind though. She made her way to the Astronomy tower, the highest tower along with the Gryffindor tower. She always went to this tower whenever she wanted to think clearly. Somehow, the starry sky and the gentle, whispering winds always helped her calm down and allowed her to think, whether rationally or illogically depended on the things said and done.

Here, Lily sat near the massive windows and stared out at the inky black skies. Hardly a few shimmering stars were visible. She sighed. "Why this? As if I hadn't enough to handle."

She spoke to the darkness. She spoke to the stars. She spoke to the wind. And she spoke to herself. "Do I really like James? Or was it just a moment?" And when you speak to yourself it becomes just too hard to lie to yourself, because deep down, you know the true answer.

Realization swept over her like a wave pounding on the seashore. "Merlin's beard! I like him. I like James Potter." She fell back against the wall and held her head in her hands. "This can't be happening!" she said to herself, yet there was a part of her that liked the way his name rolled off her tongue.

The annoying voice in her head seemed to revel in this comprehension. "Ha. About time you realized that you have a thing for Potter."

"I don't...oh!" she blushed. She had fought soo many claims like this over the years that her retort was rolling off her tongue before she had even thought of it. "Maybe I do. Alice and Mary were right. They damn right were."

"See, you thought yourself to be soo in control of your life, didn't you?" taunted the voice. "You should listen to those friends of yours more often. They mean well."

She mumbled angrily to herself, "I know okay. Don't rub it in! But I'm not going to tell anybody this. No, not even Mary and Alice. I don't know why...I just can't..."

"Oh Merlin! Why?" asked the weary voice in her head.

She was soo caught up in her conversation with herself that she didn't hear footsteps coming up the almost-never-ending stairs of the tallest tower.

"LILY! What are you doing here?" questioned a loud voice, which Lily knew well, filled with surprise, relief and a little anger.

Lily jumped up, startled, and smacked her head on the window ledge. "Leaping Lizards! OUCH!" shrieked Lily and winced as she touched the top of her head.

"Shit! Lily, are you okay? I didn't mean to startle you!" started James, as he strode towards Lily and reached forward to steady her.

"Bloody Ow James! Never do that again! Ouch! It hurts!" yelled Lily, punching James wherever she could reach.

"Lils, wait!" James said, trying to make his voice audible over the string of expletives issuing from the bruised head girl. "Lily!" James caught Lily's wrists and spun her around to face him. "Where the heck were you? Why weren't you at dinner?" he demanded.

"What?" Lily was caught off guard. "I missed dinner?" she asked dismayed.

"Yes, you did. Alice and Mary said you had gone somewhere because you wanted to be alone. And then you didn't come for dinner and we didn't know where you went so went looking for you. And damn you Lily! Who asked you to sit in the tallest tower? I took me ages to find you!"

Lily took all of that in and then apologised sheepishly, "Good Heavens! I didn't realize I was out so late! I completely lost track of time."

James grunted, "Obviously. Now if you don't mind, I'm really hungry and I bet you are too. So let's go see if there's anything left for us."

"Sure. And do you mind leaving my hands now?" asked Lily sarcastically.

James dropped her hands as though it was suddenly flaming hot and shoved his hands into his pockets. He didn't want to make Lily uncomfortable, especially after what had transpired between them hardly few hours ago. A little redness crept up her cheeks and she swung her hair in front of her and it effectively acted as a barrier; blocking her face from James' view.

They wordlessly climbed down the narrow, winding staircase and made their way to the Great Hall. Both of them were lost in their own thoughts. They sat down at the Gryffindor table and hurriedly piled food onto their plates before it all disappeared. Lily was aware of the scrutinising glances of Alice, Mary, Remus and Sirius. Sirius looked a bit dejected and Lily wondered if James had anything to do with that. Peter was as dense as usual and received a glare from Sirius when he tried to make a joke.

Once the last dishes disappeared and the Hall was emptying, the seventh years tramped up to their respective common rooms.

James followed Lily to their quarters quite silently and if not for his footfalls, Lily wouldn't have known that he was there behind her. James was indeed puzzled as to how should he smooth things over with the girl of his dreams.

When they entered their common room, James called out to Lily, hesitatingly. "Uh...Lily...About the, uh, you-know-what...I didn't mean for that to happen! Honestly. I don't know how...It just...Uh..."

"Yeah...that...I know...I mean, I get it. It was a mistake. No problems. Let's just...um...forget about it." She replied cautiously, she didn't want to ruin their friendship. It meant too much to her

"Yeah...sure." He said to her. Then he mumbled to himself, "If that's what you want."

"So, goodnight then, James." She said. "Sleep well and don't snore!" Lily joked, as she tried to diffuse some of the tension in the room.

James replied softly, "Sweet dreams Lils. Sweet dreams."

Lily hastened to the confinement of her room and once she made sure the door was locked, she slid down the wall. She moaned to herself, "I'm in too deep now. Too deep"

James was still standing where Lily had left him. Before he went to sleep, the last piece of advice Remus had given him was replaying in his mind. "Don't rush her. She'll only bolt." Remus had told him under the shade of what was known as the Marauder's tree. Sirius had protested, "But its soo obvious that Lily Flower likes Prongs, here. Why doesn't she realize it?"  
>Remus had replied, "James has liked Lily for years now. Lily has only just come to terms with that fact that James is a good person. She isn't going to swoon over him. She is different. She will take time, James. And you have to give her that." James agreed with Remus. He would do that. He would give her time.<br>"And I wonder how you don't score with the ladies, Rem!" teased Sirius, effectively changing the mood of the Marauders.

Back in his room, James whispered fiercely to himself, "I will give her time. I will"

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Whoa…A lot in this chappie! Lily has finally realised that she does, in reality, fancy James. What will she do? Will she act upon these feelings? Or will she try to suppress them? How long will James wait for Lily? Keep an eye out for future updates! **

**Please continue to Read and Review! All you have to do is click on the little blue button and type a few words in. A little effort on your part would really make my day! =)**

**R&R people! **

**Keep Smiling…**

**Cheers, **

**Authoress Angst! xD **


	9. Author's Note

**Author's Note.**

**Dear Readers,  
>I'm really, really sorry for not updating my story. Don't worry, I haven't abandoned it. I was just preoccupied with a lot of stuff in my life and I just wasn't able to go ahead and write anything. I guess I was lacking inspiration and I had to put this story on hold. I would just like to take this opportunity to thank all my readers, reviewers, alerters (?), favouriters (?) and basically everyone who has read 'When I'm With You'. <strong>

**I will update soon so I request you to please stick with me and this story. **

**XOXO**

**Authoress Angst. **


	10. Chapter 9 The Broom Cupboard

**Here comes Chapter 9, Here comes Chapter 9…! **

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer- Do I own Harry Potter and Co? If I did, I would be on my very own tropical island taking shots with my besties. Since I don't own Harry Potter, this dream remains a dream. Sigh! However, I do own the plot! =) <strong>

**A/N- Sorry for the long wait, go ahead and feast on this installment of When I'm With You! Oh and please review! **

* * *

><p>The next morning wasn't anything out of the ordinary- the sun rose in the east, the birds chirped gaily and the blades of grass on the magnificent Hogwarts Grounds trembled and quivered in the light breeze. However, for Lily Evans, this morning did not hold promises of a cheery day as for most others. She was quite troubled, and her puffy eyes bore testimony towards a sleepless night. She had spent a good part of the night worrying over her comprehension and was kicking herself for not realizing this earlier.<br>She remarked to herself, wryly. "At least then I would have been able to push these stupid feelings away. Now I know I can't.

For James too, the night didn't bring restful slumber. Instead, he was up all night deliberating his next moves and how to pull his act together. What had happened had been totally unexpected. He obviously wanted to win Lily's affections and the moment in Hogsmeade showed that she wasn't that blind to him, altogether. But even he could see the change in the redhead's demeanor. She wasn't cold as such; just careful, cautious as though waiting to catch a wrong note in the symphony of life. James thought dryly, "We're back to square one…" "…Or maybe not." He added when he remembered that they still were friends. Lily hadn't shunted him out of her life, most certainly not. And if he wasn't wrong, Lily liked him. Deep down. There was still hope.

The day passed quite uneventfully, though Lily and James were walking on eggshells around each other. Their conversations stilted and their thoughts running amok, they were totally in the dark as to how they should proceed; and more often than not, Lily would start to say something to James then stop abruptly, turning red and hastily striking up a conversation with the nearest person.

This went on for quite a few days and by then the Marauders, Alice and Mary had had enough of this nonsense.

"I say we lock them up in a broom closet and let them at it! They can sort out their issues in peace then!" declared Sirius, one blustery evening. He was fed up with the way his best mate and his favourite Flower were behaving.

"Oh perfect. Then we can crown you King of England, right? All in a day's work." Alice smirked from the loveseat she was sharing with Frank beside the fire. "Or would that be too much for you to handle, Black?"

Sirius barked out a laugh, reminding Remus very much of the darker haired boy's Animagus from. "Bring it on sister!"

Mary called out, her voice cutting through the middle of Alice and Sirius' bickering. "Actually that just might work, you know."

Alice said, her voice dripping with sarcasm "No, I don't know, Mary. Pray tell us."

"Whoa! Hold up there, McDonald. I was just getting a laugh out of you chumps." said Sirius, his grin faltering slightly. He didn't know what he had started, but he surely wanted to see the end of this episode of weirdness.

"Just think about it…" said Remus, a faraway look in his eyes.

Sirius exclaimed in wonder, "Merlin's beard! Are you alright Moony? Hey Peter, did you spike Remus' pumpkin juice with, I don't know…The Essence of Madness, maybe?"

Lupin ignored Sirius and went on, "We could trick them in…"

"Make up some excuse and shove them in…" interjected Mary.

Remus continued, "…And lock the doors and charm them so that they won't open till the two of them solve their problems…"

"…It would of course take a complex emotion sensory charm…"

"…a strong one at that…"

"…because Lily and James would definitely be able to crack a simple one…"

"…and the whole point of locking them up would simply be lost then…"

Alice stage whispered to Sirius, "Should we tell them that they're finishing each other's sentences?"

"Guys, I was just joking" said Sirius, feebly. Remus was the responsible one, _he_ was the trouble maker. Things were sure messed up now.

"Ah, but _they_ aren't!" sang Peter, and proceeded to imitate the two who were currently plotting their mission to get Lily and James in a broom closet.

Sigh!

* * *

><p>James was walking down the Transfiguration corridor; he had forgotten his copy of 'Guide to Advanced Transfiguration by Artemus Nox' in Professor McGonagall's classroom. Little did he know that it was Peter who slipped James' book under his desk and that Sirius, Remus and Peter were watching his dot move on the Marauder's Map just around the next corner.<p>

Suddenly Remus came out of nowhere and said, "Prongs? What's taking you so long? I'll come with you."

James didn't think much of this and Remus fell into step with him.

"Did you hear that?" asked Remus, following the script the others and he had rehearsed.

"What?" asked James as he strained to listen closely.

"That!" replied Remus, hoping against hope that things would go according to the plan. "Listen…It's coming from that broom cupboard!"

"Hmm…Let's check it out." Said James and slowly opened the doors. He leaned forward to peek inside it and felt a hard shove against his back! He fell right in and heard the doors lock even before he stood up.

"What the hell, Remus?" he shouted, not believing what had just happened.

"Sorry about that James. I really am." called out Remus, his voice apologetic.

James could hear Remus' muffled footsteps fade away and it was a minute before he could actually think about where he was and how he landed up here.

"Ugh…Alohomora!" said James and tentatively rattled the door. It did not open. He tried every spell he knew. The doors still didn't open. Even in his current predicament, he couldn't help but feel proud of his brothers for pulling this off. Now, if only he knew what this was for…

* * *

><p>Mary, Lily and Alice were just leaving the Transfiguration classroom after their particularly hard lesson of conjuring animate objects out of thin air. Professor McGonagall had asked to speak to Lily about some Head duties and the other two hung back, waiting for Lily.<p>

As they walked along the corridor, a strange rattling sound was heard by all three girls. Lily looked around and saw that they were not in the company of anyone else, the corridor was deserted.

Lily called out, "Peeves? Is that you?" She suspected he might be playing a prank on the students.

"The noise is coming from that broom cupboard!" said Mary, playing her part well.

"Maybe someone has locked up that vile kitten of Filch's in there…" said Alice, knowing perfectly well that it wasn't a kitten but a boy by the name of James Potter in there, if the boys had done their job well.

Lily strode towards the cupboard and said, "I'll take a look." She pulled open the doors and peered into the dark recesses and suddenly and pair of hands pushed her into the aforementioned broom cupboard!

Lily shrieked, "AAH! What in the name of Merlin is going on? Alice! Marryyy!"

She took a deep breath to calm herself and was suddenly aware of someone else's presence in the enclosed space.

"Lumos." She whispered and a small beam of light shined at the end of her wand.

"Decided to join me then, Evans?" said a voice she knew only too well.

"Is this some sort of prank, James?" she asked irritably. "Because it isn't very amusing."

"Cool it there, Red. Do you think my idea of a fun evening is to hang out in a broom cupboard with dusty brooms and mops? Who do you think I am? Filch?" retorted James, who was becoming crabbier by the minute.

"Ugh!" Lily pointed her wand at the doors and muttered, "Alohomora!"

Nothing happened.

"ALOHOMORA!"

Nothing yet.

"Don't you think I would have tried that already, Lily?" asked James, as he watched Lily unsuccessfully try to get the doors to open.

"It was worth a shot." She mumbled in disappointment. She really didn't want to sit all night in a broom cupboard with James Potter of all people.

James turned to face Lily and questioned, "What now?"

Lily bit her lip in frustration. "Don't ask me! This has Sirius Black written all over it!"

"Lay off him, Lily. You and I both know why we're here."

"Do we?" Lily disputed.

"Always the tough one, aren't you Evans?" mused James, clearly enjoying their current situation. "So what brings you here?"

"Like you don't know!"

"You mean my boyishly handsome looks, my Quidditch toned body and my infallible charm…?"

"You wish! I'm actually surprised your big head even fit in here."

"Now, now. Don't vex yourself with matters that you won't understand Lils."

By now, both Lily and James were enjoying this easy banter and it was hard to remain apprehensive and nervous.

"Oh sod off Potter!"

"When did I become Potter?"

"When did I become Red? Besides, would you rather I called you a Prick?"

"Touche…But this is getting us nowhere Evans."

"You're right, but don't get used to it."

"Aye!"

"So…"

"Soo..."

"Sooo…"

"You know you could say something Lils…Maybe something along the lines of why you have been avoiding me like the plague. You can't ignore me forever."

"I'm not avoiding you nor am I ignoring you."

"So you say."

"So _I_ say. I seriously am not!"

"You really have to learn how to lie more _convincingly_, Lily, if you run with the Marauders."

"Oh I know how to lie. I'd rather not waste my talent on _you_ though."

"Fine then. Just don't lie now though." His voice changed from his usual playful, joking tone to a more sober one. "Do you _really_ think this is my entire fault?"

Lily didn't know how to answer this. How should she put all her feelings into words?

James took her silence in the wrong way. "Do you want me as a friend Lily? Or do you want me out of your life?

"No!" she breathed hurriedly. This was going all wrong. They were supposed to apologize to each other and then pour out their feelings and hopefully, something, something _more_… She was thankful that James didn't see her flaming cheeks.

"Because I can't take this anymore, Lily. I just can't."

"No James. I do want you in my life! Of course I do! I truly am sorry about how bad I was to you this past week. I really am! I was just so horribly confused and completely lost my head. And you didn't make things any better too…"

"I know. It's not you who has to do all the apologizing. I'm to blame too. I guess I should've realised you wanted space and given you that, not completely alienate you. I understand that now. I'm sorry."

It hurt James more than Lily could ever imagine as he said the next few words. "If you want I will stay out of your way, completely."

"What makes you think I would want that? Please don't. I wouldn't bear to lose your friendship or Sirius' or Remus' or Peter's. I'm glad we're on talking terms now. I swear it was getting to childish for us to behave this way!"

"And I can't imagine us not having our group study sessions together without Sirius chucking marshmallows at you!"

"Oh yes! How would I ever manage to study without Sirius pestering the hell out of me, right?"

"Bang On!"

They broke into laughter as they remembered their antics of their days past.

"I like our relationship. I like you and you _pretend_ not to like me."

"Whatever! Now stop trying to tickle my hand James. It isn't going to endear you to me."

"What do you mean? I'm not doing anything." said James, sending confused glances at Lily.

Lily let out a small shout. "Holy Shit! Gettitoff! Gettitofffmeee! Now!"

"Oh! I almost forgot. Our ickle Lily-kins is afraid of spiders…! Engorgio."

"NOT FUNNY POTTER!"

"OHH! Where's my wand?" She had set her wand atop an upturned bucket and felt for it. "Where's my freakin wand?"

"Language, Head Girl. We wouldn't want people to hear that Hogwart's model student is stuck in a broom closet with a boy _and_ using expletives! What would they say, Lily? What would they say?"

"Found it." Lily muttered as she stunned the spider and scrambled as far away from it as she could manage.

"Anyway, James?"

"Yeah?"

"So everything's cool between us, right?"

"Yes Lily. It sure is."

A sudden clicking noise disturbed the stillness and brought both their attentions towards the doors.

"Ohh…Now I get it."

"Get what? Oh, wait…They used a charm, didn't they?"

"I think it's a sensory charm on the doors!"

"That explains why they wouldn't open earlier. You've got to give them credit though. It isn't an easy charm to perform."

"I'll give them all the credit they deserve if and only if we get out of here! I'm going to try and open these doors again okay. Stand back."

This time, Lily Evans did succeed in opening the doors and she and James took in the fresh air gratefully.

"And James, I'm really terrified of spiders. More than you can ever imagine."

_And that was how Lily Evans and James Potter got over the Hogsmeade Incident._

* * *

><p><strong>AN- And that's the Marauders' and Honorary Marauderettes' was of bringing two people together- shove them in a closet! **

**Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. I wouldn't know if you did or not, so please review. Send me **_**your**_** feedback. I appreciate constructive criticism and thank you in advance for reading and reviewing my FanFiccy. **

**TC, **

**Authoress Angst! xD **

**Keep that frown upside down! =) **


	11. Chapter 10 Balls and Trolls

**Please, please don't be mad! I truly am sorry for making you, my dear readers, wait such a long time for this update!**

***hangs head in shame* **

**I really have been terribly busy and hardly had time to actually sit and write something worth uploading. And I would hate to publish something that I didn't feel good about! **

**Anyway, thanks for sticking by me and this Ficcy. =) I shall be eternally grateful…but, uh, not in a creepy way! =P **

**And a shout-out to all my reviewers… MadAboutMagic, Addy101, Briedgee, Samiam, CrunchieKoo, , EvahBlack8378, Bridget, Lola-Leexx, Cookies and Cream1234567… Thanks a million guys! I totally value your reviews more than you could ever imagine! =) xD **

**Now, on with the next Chappie.  
>Chapter 10, for you… <strong>

"James Potter, Lily Evans…?"

"What is it?" asked James, snappishly. They were getting late for their double Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson with the Slytherins and two whole hours in their company did nothing but aggrieve the hell out of the two Head students.

"Be nice, James!" Lily admonished him and turned towards the slightly trembling first year who had approached them with an impatient half-smile.

"Please, I've got a letter for you from the Headmaster. He says it's about Head duties." said the innocent boy. "I'm sorry." He added for good measure. He didn't want to get on the wrong side of the Quidditch Captain and Head Boy.

"Don't worry about it." James brushed off the younger student's unspoken but easily identifiable fears. "And that was excellent keeping for someone of your age that I saw yesterday. Keep up that playing and you may make the reserve team next year. Merlin knows we'll need a new keeper once the last of the Woods leave."

The young lad of eleven blushed under his idol's praise and ran off, red in the face after offering fevered thanks.

"That was sweet, James." remarked Lily, before she could stop herself. She was surprised at his kind words for the boy. James Potter really did have his heart in the right place after all. He never did seem to stop amazing her, even when he plagued her asking her out, though she would never admit this to anybody.

"I'm known for that." replied James, his familiar cocky grin spreading across his face. Lily laughed at that. "You really are something, you know that?"

"I'm glad you think that way. It's good to know that I'm not 'annoying Potter' anymore!" Lily felt her own grin slide over her face as she watched his long fingers brush through his perpetually messed up raven locks. What would it feel like to run her hands through them? She longed to mess up his hair the way he had done mere moments ago.

"Where are you going?" asked James, cutting through her extremely embarrassing thoughts. Lily stopped and stared. She hadn't realised that they were walking all this while. "Uh, back up a bit?" said James wondering perplexedly about whatever made Lily Evans so absentminded.

"Oh, yeah…right."

To say that Lily was mortified would be the understatement of the century. She drove the last of those awkward thought out of her mind and grinned sheepishly at him. "Just thinking." She said, tapping her slender finger against her alabaster brow. She hoped he wouldn't see the traitorous blush creeping up her cheeks. "STOP IT, LILY!" she said to herself. Lily Evans had never, ever blushed over James Potter earlier. At least never in front of somebody else and in this case James Potter himself. "Well, that is one rule I'm sure breaking!" she said to herself, wryly, as they entered the third floor classroom.

"Huh? Didn't catch that. Did you say something?" queried James, much worried about why Lily was acting so strange.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." replied Lily and heaved a sigh of relief when she spotted Alice and Mary. The waved her down and she went to join them, relieved that they had saved her a seat and weren't plotting to make her and James sit through this lesson together too.

"Ugh! This is driving me nuts! Why must it be so hard for him to get the hint?" demanded the irate red head as soon as she settled herself on the bench and dumped her satchel beside her.

"I think you owe me five galleons there, Goldilocks!" proclaimed Alice, not even trying to conceal her glee. She outstretched her palm and wiggled her carefully tweezed eyebrows at Mary. The effect was quite comical and Lily giggled in spite of herself. Really, this was the limit! Lily was never the giggly-type. No, she most certainly was not. She was sensible. Not uptight. Just cool, calm and collected. But then she never, even in her wildest dreams, imagined that she would take a fancy to a certain bespectacled boy. The infamous James Potter. Really, it was as if she was a whole new person. When she pictured herself falling for some special someone, she thought it would be gradual and steady and it would be with someone who was like herself, or like her ex-boyfriend and Alice's distant cousin, Fabian Prewett. Someone serious and balanced. She never even imagined that she would feel so, different. Vibrant, in a sense. So lightheaded! Yet, she was…

"Earth to Lily. Daydreaming about a certain Quidditch Captain, are we?" quipped Mary, not quite far from hitting the nail right on the head.

"_Now really…" _began Lily, exasperatedly, but her answer was lost as the DADA professor, Professor Brandon, swept into the room, cloak bellowing behind him and commanded everyone's attention as he discoursed about the adverse side effects of a powerfully cast lesser known hex.

Later that evening as most students were in their common rooms or the Library, Peeves was decorating the walls in the dungeons with Drooble's Best Blowing Bubblegum. Luckily for Lily Evans and James Potter, they weren't headed there. No, they were on their way to the Headmaster's Office. Dumbledore, no doubt, had something up his sleeve and the two heads were eager to know what it was that the eccentric wizard wanted of them.

By now, Lily and James had become closer than ever. They were friends, fast friends. It was an understatement to say that the Marauders didn't enjoy their Lily-Flower's company, not to forget Alice's and Mary's too. Lily and Sirius had struck up a comfortable friendship that equaled the comradeship not much different from a brother and sister. They, not much surprisingly, bonded over the fact that they didn't get along with their siblings. It was not uncommon to see Sirius sprawled on the floor of the Head's common room chatting with Lily and James about anything and everything under the sun.

Lily and Remus were old and dear friends; both enjoying each other's company. Quiet at times, and sometimes too rambunctious for words. They were often found discussing muggle books, Remus knowing them because of his muggle-born father. Woes betide anyone who dared disturb them as they quoted from the bard.

Lily and Peter had more of a silent companionship thing going for them. They were friends indeed, Peter always ready to do anything for the read head and Lily always having a kind word for the mousy boy. Peter sometimes surprised her, as well as the other boys, by coming up with devilishly clever pranks to play on unsuspecting people. He was a sweet and caring boy and was extremely loyal, even to Lily.

Lily and James spoke in hushed tones as they stood upon the spiral staircase that took them closer to Dumbledore's office with every passing second. They knocked on the majestic oak door and…

"Enter!"

James and Lily entered the room decorated with spindly instruments of various sorts. "Good evening Professor Dumbledore." they chorused and sat down in the plushy chairs Dumbledore indicated.

"Thank you for coming Miss. Evans, Mr. Potter. As you most definitely know, Halloween is just around the corner…" The headmaster paused to take a look at the two dependable students sitting in front of him. "…and instead of just having the Halloween Feast as we have done all these years, this year, the staff and I have decided to allow the students to have a ball. A Halloween Ball. Dancing and music and a good amount of fun, albeit not too much fun."

"Of course Professor." said Lily with a slight smile.

"And now, the most important matter! The two of you will be responsible for the set up, that is, the decorations and the menu and putting up posters all over the castle."

"That is a great idea professor. But, how are we going to manage to set all this up in a mere week or so?" asked James quickly.

Lily looked up and said a bit softly, "We could manage somehow, I suppose. After all, we knew we would have many duties during the year."

Dumbledore smiled benevolently at them. "You will have to work together on this one. Whether or not, if you wish you could involve a select few of your friends to help you as I understand this is a big favour to ask of you to do this in such a short span of time."

Lily was already thinking about the myriad possibilities of carrying this task out with her friends. James said rather excitedly, "It would be an amazing affair for all the students if this is planned and executed in the right way!"

"I'm glad you see it that way, Mr. Potter, Miss. Evans." The headmaster was pleased to see that they would indeed put their best foot forward. "And do not fret, the Professors and I will assist you and I'm sure Hagrid will be delighted to provide some of his excellent pumpkins for this occasion!"

Lily motioned towards herself and James and said with a smile, "Thank you Professor. I think we can handle this, together."

Dumbledore beamed at the two of them as though they were kids and called out as they left his office, "I know you will. A good night to both of you. Now off to bed!"

"I really don't know whether to think he is a genius, or whether he is a raving lunatic!" said James, who was always astonished at the way their unconventional headmaster behaved.

"Who isn't to say he is both?" replied Lily with a shake of her fine head. She was always in awe of the great man and greatly respected and revered him.

"Hmmm…Like, maybe, method in his madness?" quipped James, eager to hear what Lily would say next.

"Or madness is his method!"

"Or maybe…" But James never got to finish that thought. He suddenly remembered. "Shit! I had forgotten I scheduled a Quidditch Practice for today evening. I better run if I have to get to the pitch on time."

As he sped away, he called out to Lily, "See you in our common room later Lily-Flower!"

James even had the nerve to tease her a bit before disappearing out of her sight, "Don't miss me too much!"

"You would like that, wouldn't you?" Lily shouted after him.

James grinned in spite of himself and said, "You bet I would."

As the fates favoured James Potter, he wasn't late. He simply made an extraordinary entrance, completely windswept. It was a pity only Sirius was there to witness it. There were still a couple of minutes left for everyone to arrive.

"Hey, got your broom here James..." Sirius called out somewhere from the stands. He looked a bit dishevelled too and James supposed Sirius had been flying around the pitch for a while. James climbed up and sat beside him to catch his breath. Upon closer inspection, Sirius' face was drawn and white. He looked completely upset about something and James hastened to find out what troubled him so.

"What's wrong, Sirius?"

Sirius refused to meet James' eyes and mumbled, "Nothing."

James tried to probe a little more. It was only something really bad that could get Sirius so stressed out. "Obviously something is."

"Huh, might as well. I saw Regulus in the corridors today. He was hanging around those Death Eater aspirants Mulciber, Avery and Bulstrode. I'm worried about him, Prongs. He doesn't know what he is doing."

"Did you talk to him?" asked James.

"Talk? Regulus is far beyond talking to his blood-traitor brother. Bella and Cissy have trained him well." replied Sirius morosely. He still believed he could save his brother even though Regulus had made it quite clear that he didn't want anything to do with him.

James was determined to hear the entire thing. "What happened?"

"Ha! What do you think?"

"No, Sirius." said James, he could easily guess what had happened next and was disappointed that they had resorted to wands. "Who hexed whom first?"

"Mulciber tried to hit Remus with a Stinging Curse, his aim was so horrible it hit Peter. Let's just say that they fled after I hit all of them with a Furnunculous Charm. Remus is with Peter in the hospital wing."

"That bad?"

"Yeah."

James tried to lift his spirits a bit by saying, "It's going to be alright, Padfoot."

Sirius snorted derisively, "You really think so?

"You think?"

Sirius zoomed off on his broom once again as the rest of the team members arrived and flew a few laps around the humongous pitch to let off some steam. But soon, as they began training for their first match of the season, all thoughts of Slytherins and Regulus were forgotten as they focused on their tactics and plays for their game against that Ravenclaws.

**A/N- Did you? Did you like this? I sure hope you did! Puhleeze REVIEW folks! I'm waiting for your feedback.**

**Loved it? Tell me.  
>Hated something? Still tell me. <strong>

**I want at least 5 reviews from all you guyz and gals reading this Fic! **

**TC, **

**Authoress Angst 01**

**xD**

**P.S. I will dedicate the next chappie to all those who review! =) **


End file.
